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N  A  R  R  AT  I  V}Ej  %/:>tf: the  t 
of 


CONQUEST  OF  FLORIDA  as  told  by  a  KNIGHT 
OF  ELVAS  and  in  a  Relation  by  LUYS  HERNAN 
DEZ  DE  BIEDMA,  Factor  of  the  Expedition 

TRANSLATED  BY  BUCKINGHAM  SMITH 
TOGETHER  WITH  A    ACCOUNT  OF 

DE  SOTO'S  EXPEDITION 

BASED   ON   THE    DIARY   OF 

RODRIGO  RANJEL,  HIS  PRIVATE  SECRETARY 

TRANSLATED  FROM  OVIEDO'S  HISTORIA  GENERAL 

Y  NATURAL  DE  LAS  INDIAS 

EDITED  WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION 
By 

EDWARD   GAYLORD   BOURNE 

PROFESSOR   OF  HISTORY   IN   YALE   UNIVERSITY 


ILLUSTRATED 

VOLUME  I 

NEW  YORK 
A.  S.  BARNES  AND  COMPANY 

1904 


o  v 
•    v.\ 


Copyright,    1904, 

BY 
A.  S.  BARNES  &  Co. 


November 


CONTENTS 

(VOL.  I) 


PAGE 


INTRODUCTION,  EDWARD  GAY- 
LORD  BOURNE  v 

TITLE  PAGE  OF  A  TRUE  RELATION 

GIVEN  BY  A  FlDALGO  OF  ELVAS     xxiii 

INDEX  OF  CHAPTERS xxv 

EPIGRAM 1 

DISCOVERY  OF  FLORIDA,  THE  TRUE 
RELATION  BY  A  FIDALGO  OF 
ELVAS  *  3 


'Originally  published  by  the  Bradford  Club  in  1866. 


EDITOR'S  INTRODUCTION 

THE  expeditions  of  De  Soto  and  Coronado 
were  the  most  elaborate  efforts  made  by  the 
Spaniards  to  explore  the  interior  of  North 
America,  and  in  some  respects  they  have  never 
been  surpassed  in  the  later  history  of  the 
country.  Between  them  they  nearly  spanned 
the  continent  from  Georgia  to  the  Gulf  of 
California.  Of  the  two,  that  of  De  Soto 
excited  the  most  interest  at  the  time,  and 
this  distinction  it  still  retains.  It  was  the 
first  extensive  exploration  of  at  least  six  of 
our  Southern  States,  and  their  written  history 
opens  with  the  narratives  which  tell  its  story; 
these  same  narratives  contain  the  earliest  de 
scriptions  which  we  possess  of  the  life  and 
manners  of  the  southern  Indians  so  famous  in 
literature  and  history — the  Choctaws,  the 
Cherokees,  the  Creeks,  and  the  Seminoles; 
these  narratives  also  record  the  discovery  of 
the  Mississippi  River  and  the  story  of  the 
first  voyage  upon  it  by  Europeans. 

Nor  are  these  narratives  less  interesting  in 
literary  history.  One  of  them — that  ac 
corded  the  first  place  in  this  edition — is  the 
only  considerable  contribution  in  the  Portu- 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

guese  language,  and  by  a  Portuguese,  to  the 
early  history  of  the  United  States.  In  mak 
ing  another,  a  descendant  of  the  Incas  of  Peru 
transmuted  the  tale  of  hardships  and  meetings 
with  the  Indians,  friendly  and  hostile,  into  an 
old  romance  of  chivalry, — the  first  and  cer 
tainly  the  most  celebrated  one  dealing  with  an 
American  theme, — in  which  a  groundwork  of 
fact  is  richly  embroidered  by  the  author's  im 
agination  with  romantic  details  into  a  whole 
so  full  of  charm  as  to  have  beguiled  even  pro 
fessed  historians.  Finally,  in  contrast  to  this 
quaint  compound  of  knight-errantry  and  In 
dian  fighting,  we  have  a  plain,  unvarnished 
account  of  what  actually  took  place  from  day 
to  day  from  the  hand  of  De  Soto's  private  sec 
retary,  Rodrigo  Ran j el.  This  last  is  now 
made  accessible,  in  English,  for  the  first  time 
in  this  edition. 

The  earliest  narrative  of  De  Soto's  expe 
dition  to  be  published  was  drawn  up  by  one 
of  the  Portuguese  gentlemen  who  joined  it 
"from  the  town  of  Elvas,  which  lies  just 
across  the  boundary  from  the  Spanish  city  of 
Badajos,  where  De  Soto  was  well  known. 
The  writer  did  not  reveal  his  name,  and  his 
identity  has  never  been  discovered.  His  True 
Relation,  as  he  entitled  it,  was  published  in 
Evora,  Portugal,  in  1557.  It  was  brought  to 
the  attention  of  a  wider  public  by  the  ever 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

alert  and  energetic  Richard  Hakluyt,  who,  in 
1609,  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  newly 
founded  Virginia  colony,  translated  it  into 
English  under  the  title:  Virginia  richly 
valued  by  the  description  of  the  maine  land  of 
Florida  her  next  neighbour;  out  of  foure 
yeeres  continuall  travel!  and  discoverie  for 
above  one  thousand  miles  east  and  west,  of 
Don  Ferdinando  de  Soto,  and  six  hundred  able 
men  in  his  companie.  Wherein  are  truly  ob 
served  the  riches  and  fertilitie  of  those  parts 
abounding  with  things  necessarie,  pleasant,  and 
profitable  for  the  life  of  man;  with  the  nature 
and  dispositions  of  the  inhabitants.  Written 
by  a  Portugall  gentleman  of  Elvas,  emploied 
in  nil  the  action,  and  translated  out  of  Portu 
guese  by  Richard  Hakluyt.  Two  years  later, 
with  the  same  purpose  in  view,  Hakluyt  pub 
lished  a  new  edition  of  his  version,  changing 
the  title  to  The  Discovery  and  Conquest  of 
Terra  Florida  by  Don  Ferdinando  de  Soto 
and  six  hundred  Spaniards  his  followers,  etc. 
This  narrative,  from  its  sobriety  of  tone,  its 
nearness  in  time  to  the  events  which  its  author 
relates  as  an  eye-witness,  and  the  numerous 
indications  that  in  its  preparation  he  utilized 
memoranda  made  at  the  time,  has  generally 
been  recognized  by  historians  as  the  most 
trustworthy  detailed  account  of  De  Soto's  ex 
pedition  that  we  have. 

vii 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

/  Next  in  order  of  publication  and  equal  in 
fame  comes:  La  Florida  del  Inca.  His- 
toria  del  Adelantado,  Hernando  de  Soto,  Cov 
er  nado,  y  Capitan  General  del  Reino  de  la 
Florida.  Y  de  otros  heroicos  caballeros, 
Espanoles,  e  Indios.  Escrita  por  el  Inca  Gar- 
cilaso  de  la  Vega,  capitan  de  su  magestad, 
natural  de  la  gran  ciudad  del  Cozco,  cabe^a 
de  los  reinos  y  provincias  del  Peru,  etc. 
(Lisbon,  1605,  and  again,  Madrid,  1722.) 
Garcilaso  was  born  in  Cuzco,  Peru,  in  1537. 
He  was  the  son  of  a  Spanish  officer  of  the 
same  name,  and  of  the  sister  of  the  last  Inca, 
Huayna  Capac.  While  a  boy  in  Peru  he 
knew  personally  many  of  the  followers,  of  De 
Soto,  who  came  thither  to  recover  their  for 
tunes.1  In  1560  he  went  to  Spain,  and  there, 
about  the  year  1567,  became  more  or  less 
intimately  acquainted  with  a  gentleman  who 
"was  a  survivor  of  the  expedition,  and  from 
whom  he  often  heard  of  the  exploits  of  the 
Spaniards  and  the  Indians.  Garcilaso,  with 
the  blood  of  both  races  flowing  in  his  veins, 
felt  doubly  drawn  to  rescue  from  oblivion 
such  heroic  deeds.  Of  the  existence  of  the 
narrative  of  the  "  Gentleman  of  Elvas "  he 
makes  no  mention.2  Finally  after  the  lapse 

1  La  Florida,  264. 

3  Yet   Pedro    Fernandez    del    Pulgar,    who   wrote 
the    continuation    of    Herrera,    declares    that    Gar- 
viii 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 

of  twenty  years  he  persuaded  his  friend  to  tell 
him  the  story  in  course  while  he  wrote  it 
down.  This  took  place  about  I58;,3  forty- 
four  years  after  the  return  of  the  expedition. 
Garcilaso  nowhere  reveals  the  name  of  this 
friend,  and  no  one,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  has 
attempted  to  determine  his  identity.  Yet  I 
venture  to  conjecture  that  he  was  the  cavalier 
named  Gongalo  Silvestre,  whose  experiences 
in  the  expedition  are  narrated  in  considerable 
detail.  In  fact,  in  Garcilaso's  narrative  only 
De  Soto  himself,  his  successor,  Luis  de  Mo- 
scoso,  and  Juan  de  Afiasco  receive  as  frequent 
notice  as  Gongalo  Silvestre,  who  is  not  even 
mentioned  by  the  "  Gentleman  of  Elvas." 
After  the  expedition  was  over  Gongalo  Sil 
vestre  went  to  Peru.  About  the  year  1555 
he  returned  to  Spain  in  poverty.4 

cilaso  followed  the  Portuguese  narrative.  (Proemlo 
of  Gabriel  Daza  de  Cardenas  to  the  ed.  of  1722.) 
Jared  Sparks  held  the  same  view.  (Life  of  Mar- 
quette,  289.)  Neither  writer  advanced  any  proofs. 

3  Cf.  the  letter  of  Garcilaso  of  March  12,  1587, 
quoted  in  the  Proemlo  of  the  edition  of  1722,  and 
the  statement  in  Garcilaso's  preface  that  he  wrote 
it  after  the  publication  of  his  version  of  the 
dialogues  of  Leon  Hebreo  (1590),  and,  also,  that 
on  p.  190  of  his  text,  that  he  was  copying  it  in  1591. 

'  Nothing  is  known  of  Silvestre  except  what  Gar 
cilaso  tells  us  in  his  La  Florida  and  Historia  Ge 
neral  del  Peru.  Yet,  he  there  supplies  enough  to 
enable  Mr.  R.  B.  C.  Graham  to  write  an  account 
ix 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 

After  Garcilaso  had  finished  his  main  nar 
rative  he  incorporated  in  it  supplementary 
paragraphs  from  two  short  accounts  put  to 
gether  several  years  after  the  events  by  two 
soldiers,  Alonso  de  Carmona  and  Juan  Coles. 
These  were  rambling  recollections,  and  the 
first  did  not  observe  the  order  of  time  or  men 
tion  regions  by  name  except  in  rare  cases. 
Garcilaso  submitted  his  completed  work  to  a 
"  Chronicler  of  his  Catholic  Majesty,"  who 
wrote  him  that  he  had  compared  it  with  a 
narrative  in  his  own  possession  drawn  up  by 
a  Spaniard  who  had  been  on  the  expedition  for 
Mendoza,  the  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  and 
found  that  they  were  in  harmony.5  This 
chronicler  no  doubt  was  Antonio  de  He- 
rrera,  appointed  to  that  position  in  1592,  and 
he  testified  to  his  approval  of  Garcilaso's 
work  by  making  it  the  basis  of  his  own  ac 
count  of  De  Soto  in  his  Historia  General  de 
las  Indias? 

Garcilaso's  La  Florida  has  never  been  trans 
lated  into  English  in  full,  but  Theodore  Irv- 

of  his  adventures,  filling  some  seventy  pages  of  his 
De  Soto.  Cf.  Graham  (Hernando  de  Soto,  201- 
272). 

5  For  these  facts  see  Garcilaso's  preface. 

8  Cf.  Theodore  Irving  (Conquest  of  Florida, 
viii.)  and  Shea  (Winsor,  Narr.  and  Crit.  Hist. 
II.  290).  Herrara  explicitly  asserted  that  he  de 
rived  his  material  from  another  narrative.  Dec. 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 

ing's  The  Conquest  of  Florida  reproduces  the 
substance  of  it,  and  often  the  very  words.  Bar 
nard  Shipp,  it  is  true,  included  in  his  History 
of  Hernando  de  Soto  and  Florida  an  English 
rendering  of  the  French  version  by  Pierre 
Richelet,  but  without  intimating  that  Richelet 
had  adapted  rather  than  translated  Garcilaso, 
reducing  the  bulk  of  his  work  by  about  two- 
fifths.  Miss  Grace  King's  De  Soto  and  his 
Men  in  the  Land  of  Florida  (1898)  is  in 
the  main  a  reproduction  of  Garcilaso's  La 
Florida,  and  preserves  the  atmosphere  of  ro 
mance  characteristic  of  the  original.  Theo 
dore  Irving  and  Miss  King  both  made  use  of 
the  Portuguese  narrative  for  supplementary 
material,  but  on  the  whole  their  works  as 
history  stand  and  fall  with  the  historical  char 
acter  of  Garcilaso's  La  Florida.  The  same  is 
true,  although  to  a  somewhat  less  degree,  of 
R.  B.  Cunninghame  Graham's  Hernando  De 
Soto  (1903).  This  author,  while  mainly  de 
pending  on  Garcilaso,  has  made  more  use  of 
the  Portuguese  narrative  and  the  other  sources 
presently  to  be  mentioned  than  was  the  case 

VII.  lib.  VII.  cap.  XII.  Yet  Irving  is  obviously 
right  in  his  assertion,  as  any  one  can  see  by  com 
paring  Herrera's  account  with  the  text  of  La 
Florida.  Probably  Herrera  did  have  another  brief 
source,  and  did  not  care  to  acknowledge  the  extent 
to  which  he  had  exploited  Garcilaso's  work,  sub 
mitted  to  him  in  a  friendly  way. 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 

with  Miss  King.  Mr.  Graham's  book  is  sea 
soned  with  a  dry  humour  which  gives  it  a 
place  quite  its  own  in  the  De  Soto  literature. 

Somewhat  more  than  a  half  a  century  ago 
two  new  and  important  sources  were  brought 
to  light.  The  first  was  the  official  report  of 
the  expedition  by  the  King's  factor,  Hernan 
dez  de  Biedma,  which  was  drawn  up  in  1544. 
This  wras  first  published  in  1841  by  the 
French  scholar  Ternaux-Compans  in  a  French 
translation.  English  versions  soon  appeared 
in  B.  F.  French's  Historical  Collections  of 
Louisiana  (1850),  and  in  W.  B.  Rye's  edition 
for  the  Hakluyt  Society  of  Hakluyt's  transla 
tion  of  the  "  Gentleman  of  Elvas  "  (1851).  In 
1857  Buckingham  Smith  published  the  Spanish 
text  of  De  Biedma's  report  in  his  Coleccion  de 
varios  Documentos  para  la  Historia  de  la 
Florida,  and  seven  years  later  he  published  an 
English  translation  from  the  original,  together 
with  a  new  translation  of  the  Portuguese  nar 
rative. 

In  the  meantime  the  publication  of  the  previ 
ously  inedited  portions  of  Oviedo's  Historia 
General  y  Natural  de  las  Indias  in  a  new  and 
complete  edition  of  that  work  revealed  an  en 
tirely  new  contemporary  account  of  De  Soto's 
expedition,  to  which  Buckingham  Smith  called 
attention  in  a  casual  and  inconspicuous  way 
in  the  introduction  to  his  Narratives  of  the 

•  xii 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 

Career  of  Hernando  de  Soto  (1866). 
Twenty  years  later  John  Gilmary  Shea,  in  his 
brief  but  critical  survey  of  De  Soto's  expedition 
prepared  for  Justin  Winsor's  Narrative  and 
Critical  History  of  America,  made  consider 
able  use  of  Oviedo's  narrative;  and  in  his 
essay  on  the  sources  he  remarks  that  it  was 
based  on  the  report  of  the  expedition  which 
De  Soto's  private  secretary  prepared  after  his 
return,  from  a  diary  which  he  had  kept.  The 
next  writer  to  call  particular  attention  to  this 
source  was  Mr.  Woodbury  Lowery,  in  his 
scholarly  history  of  The  Spanish  Settlements 
Within  the  Present  Limits  of  the  United 
States,  1513-1561  (igoi).7  Mr.  Lowery, 
however,  neglected  to  mention  the  important 
fact  that  Rodrigo  Ran j el,  from  whom  Oviedo 
derived  his  materials,  was  De  Soto's  private 
secretary.8 

7  Mr.   Lowery  says   that  the    latter   part   of   the 
Ranjel    narrative   "  follows  very  closely   the   Elvas 
narrative,"    thus    implying    that    it    was    dependent 
upon  it.     I  am  unable  to  assent  to  this  conclusion. 
The  narratives  are  in  general  agreement,  as  is  to 
be   expected,   if  both   are   contemporary;   but  there 
are  also  considerable  differences.     That  one  is  de 
rived    from    the    other    is    very    unlikely.     Oviedo 
died   in   the   summer   of   1557   at  79   years   of   age, 
and  this  was  the  year  in  which  the  Elvas  narrative 
was  printed. 

8  This   is  established   by  the   following  clause   in 
De    Soto's    will :     "  Also,    I    order    that   to   Rodrigo 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 

My  "Attention  was  arrested  by  Shea's  remarks 
upon  the  source  of  Oviedo's  narrative  last 
spring  when  engaged  in  preparing  a  brief 
sketch  of  De  Soto's  expedition  for  my  Spain 
in  America.  A  subsequent  careful  examina 
tion  of  Oviedo's  account  convinced  me  that  it 
contained  embedded  in  it  Rodrigo  Ranjel's 
journal  exactly  in  the  same  way  as  Columbus's 
journal  of  his  second  voyage  has  been  pre 
served  to  us  substantially  complete  by  Las 
Casas  in  his  Historia  de  las  Indias?  and  just 
as  Herrera  incorporated  large  blocks  of  Las 
Casas's  unpublished  narrative  in  his  own  his 
tory.  The  practice  was  a  very  common  one 
in  those  days,  and  a  penetrating  criticism  will 
bring  to  light  in  the  future  many  historical 
sources  of  the  first  importance  which  have  been 
preserved  to  us  safely  encased  in  some  second 
ary  narrative,  whose  authors  found  that  copy 
ing  answered  their  purpose  quite  as  well,  if  not 
better  than,  recasting.  In  the  present  instance 
we  have  an  account  of  De  Soto's  expedition  in 
exact  chronological  order  from  the  departure 
from  Cuba  to  the  entering  into  winter  quar- 

Rangel,  my  secretary,  be  given,  for  the  good  service 
he  has  rendered  me,  three  hundred  ducats  of  my 
goods."  B.  Smith  (Narratives  of  the  Career  of 
Hernando  de  Soto,  277). 

9  Cf.    Lollis's    attempt    to    reconstruct    Columbus's 
journal     of   his     second    voyage     in     the    Raccolta 
Colombiana,  part  I.  vol.  I. 
xiv 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 

ters  at  Utiangiie,10  November  2,  1541.  In  the 
main  the  language  of  the  daily  record  was  pre 
served,  and  is  easily  distinguishable  and  de 
tached  by  the  critical  reader  from  Oviedo's 
editorial  comments.  In  some  places  words 
are  used  which  Oviedo  explains  in  a  parenthesis 
or  footnote. 

A  comparison  of  the  derivation  and  genesis 
of  our  other  sources  with  the  derivation  and 
origin  of  this  narrative  in  Oviedo's  History 
must  establish  the  last  as  fully  equal  in  value 
and  importance,  so  far  as  it  goes,  to  the  Nar 
rative  of  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas,  and  supe 
rior  to  the  other  sources  regarding  De  Soto's 
great  expedition.  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega  con 
structed  a  narrative  of  some  240,000  words, 
rich  in  details,  in  romantic  colouring,  and 
in  imaginary  speeches,  on  the  basis  of  the  recol 
lections  after  forty  years  of  a  Spanish  knight 
who  participated  in  the  expedition,  supple 
mented  by  the  scanty,  unsystematized  mem 
ories  of  two  soldiers.  The  "  Gentleman  of  El 
vas  "  based  his  account,  published  fifteen  years 
later,  on  his  recollections  and  upon  memoranda 
taken  at  the  time,  which,  notwithstanding  his 
occasional  mistakes  in  days  and  dates,  must 
have  been  a  fairly  connected  daily  journal. 
Biedma's  Relation  possesses  the  important  ad- 

10  Called  Autiamque  by  the  "  Gentleman  of 
Elvas." 

xv 


EDITOR'S   INTRODUCTION 

vantage  of  being  the  official  report  of  a  king's 
officer;  but  it  is  brief,  and  is  given  as  a  whole 
with  comparatively  few  details,  except  as  to 
directions  and  distances.  In  Ranjel's  account 
the  form  and  method  and  the  presumable 
accuracy  of  the  contemporary  diary  are  pre 
served,  and  the  material  has  been  less  worked 
over  into  a  literary  narrative  than  is  the  case 
with  the  account  of  the  "  Gentleman  of 
Elvas." 

The  importance,  then,  of  this  Ranjel  narra 
tive  for  the  history  of  the  expedition  and  the 
criticism  of  our  sources  can  hardly  be  over 
estimated.  It  enables  the  days'  marches  to  be 
followed  writh  an  exactness  hitherto  impossi 
ble,  and  it  therefore  should  greatly  facilitate 
subsequent  studies  of  De  Soto's  route.  It  also 
furnishes  a  gauge  by  which  the  romantic  ex 
aggerations  and  inventions  of  Garcilaso  de  la 
Vega  can  be  measured  and  detected,  and  by 
which  also  the  degree  in  which  the  anonymous 
"  Gentleman  of  Elvas  "  had  a  daily  record  at 
his  disposal.  In  the  past,  writers  like  Theodore 
Irving  have  argued  that  a  Spaniard  of  high 
character  and  rank  would  be«  a  more  trust 
worthy  authority  than  a  foreigner  like  the  un 
known  Portuguese.  Such  a  priori  criticism  of 
these  sources  can  no  longer  pass  muster.  Nor, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  a  scholar  of  the  standing 
of  Jared  Sparks  likely  again  to  class  the  Portu- 

xvi 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

guese  narrative  and  La  Florida  of  Garcilaso 
together,  declaring  that  "  both  of  the  accounts 
are  too  romantic  and  vague  for  history  " ; lx 
much  less  will  a  reviewer  venture  to  write  of 
"  the  apocryphal  story  of  Hernando  de  Soto's 
overland  expedition  to  the  lower  Missis 
sippi,"12  etc.  The  general  trustworthiness  of 
the  True  Relation  (the  "  Gentleman  of  El- 
vas"),  which  from  a  literary  point  of  view 
ranks  among  the  best  of  the  old  exploration 
narratives,  is  powerfully  reinforced  by  the 
journal  of  Rodrigo  Ranjel. 

In  the  present  publication  the  object  of  the 
editor  and  the  publishers,  in  accordance  with 
the  design  of  "  The  Trailmakers  "  series,  has 
been  to  place  within  the  reach  of  everyone 
interested  in  the  subject  the  three  most  im 
portant  contemporary  sources  relating  to  the 
expedition  of  De  Soto.  To  get  at  the  true 
history  of  this  great  enterprise  has  hitherto 
been  no  simple  matter  for  readers  who  did 
not  have  access  to  large  libraries:  for  all  the 
earlier  collections  of  the  contemporary  nar 
ratives  are  out  of  print  and  not  easily  obtain- 

11  Life  of  Marquette,  American  Biography,  x.  289. 

"Francis  Bowen,  in  a  review  of  Gayarre's  His 
tory  of  Louisiana  (North  American  Review,  July, 
1847,  p.  6).  Bowen  was  undoubtedly  led  to  this 
extreme  scepticism  by  the  character  of  Garcilaso's 
La  Florida;  but,  after  all,  his  utterance  deserves 
preservation  as  a  curiosity  of  historical  criticism. 
.  xvii 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

able  at  a  moderate  cost;  and  all  the  popular 
detailed  accounts  now  before  the  public  reflect 
the  unhistorical  and  romantic  colouring  of 
Garcilaso  de  la  Vega. 

In  preparing  this  popular  edition  of  the  De 
Soto  narratives  Buckingham  Smith's  transla 
tion  of  the  "  Gentleman  of  Elvas  "  rather  than 
Hakluyt's  has  been  selected  for  several  reasons. 
In  the  first  place  it  is  in  the  English  of  to-day. 
Some  readers,  no  doubt,  would  prefer  the  old- 
time  flavour  of  Hakluyt's  Elizabethan  En 
glish;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  quaint  and 
variable  spelling  and  the  obsolete  words  would 
perhaps  be  an  impediment  to  a  much  larger 
number.  Again,  Hakluyt's  translation,  al 
though  not  in  print  in  any  form  at  the  present 
writing,  can  easily  be  found  in  the  libraries  in 
various  forms,  while  Buckingham  Smith's 
careful  version  has  hitherto  been  accessible 
only  in  a  very  limited  edition.  Lastly,  the 
thought  that  the  more  extensive  circulation  of 
the  present  volumes  might  make  known  to  a 
wider  circle  the  name  and  work  of  a  Southern 
scholar  who  contributed  not  a  little  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  earlier  history  of  the  Span 
iards  in  North  America  was  not  without  its 
weight.  Of  the  Biedma  narrative  Bucking 
ham  Smith's  translation  was  selected  because 
it  is  the  only  one  made  directly  from  the 
Spanish, 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

In  the  preparation  of  the  translation  of 
the  Ranjel  narrative  from  Oviedo  I  have 
aimed  to  supply  an  accurate  and  readable 
version.  In  revising  it  I  had  the  advantage 
of  consulting  Dr.  Charles  P.  Wagner,  now 
Instructor  in  Spanish  at  the  University  of 
Michigan,  who  solved  some  perplexities  and 
pointed  out  some  errors.  In  addition  to 
the  Ranjel  narrative  I  have  translated  sev 
eral  passages  from  Garcilaso's  La  Florida  em 
bodying  some  of  his  quotations  from  the 
memoirs  of  the  two  soldiers,  Alonso  de  Car- 
mona  and  Juan  Coles.  The  collection  con 
cludes  with  Buckingham  Smith's  life  of  De 
Soto  and  his  translation  of  De  Soto's  letter  to 
the  municipal  body  of  Santiago,  Cuba,  the  only 
extant  communication  from  De  Soto  himself 
in  regard  to  the  beginning  of  the  expedition. 
A  few  notes  have  been  added  to  the  Ranjel 
narrative,  but  they  have  been  restricted  to 
narrow  limits.  All  the  dates  have  been  veri 
fied  by  comparison  with  the  calendars  of  the 
years  1539,  1540,  1541,  and  1542,  and  all 
the  errors  detected  have  been  pointed  out. 
This  process  has  effectively  demonstrated  that 
the  two  narratives  of  "  The  Gentleman  of 
Elvas  "  and  of  Rodrigo  Ranjel  are  based  on 
actual  journals.  That  these  daily  records 
were  occasionally  written  up  after  the  events 
is  indicated  by  such  mistakes  in  the  dates  as 


EDITOR'S    INTRODUCTION 

have  been  discovered,  but  that  is  something 
which  happens  in  the  case  of  most  journals. 

The  reader  who  desires  a  fuller  discussion 
of  the  route  of  the  expedition  will  find  the 
literature  of  the  subject  in  Lowery's  Spanish 
Settlements.  Of  the  aspects  of  nature  which 
met  the  eyes  of  these  toiling  Spaniards  the 
classic  Travels  through  North  and  South 
Carolina,  Georgia,  East  and  West  Florida, 
etc.,  of  the  botanist,  William  Bartram,  afford 
a  rich  and  varied  picture. 

EDWARD  GAYLORD  BOURNE. 
NEW  HAVEN,  August,  1904. 


INDEX 

OF    THE    CHAPTERS    CONTAINED    IN    THE 

DISCOVERY  OF  FLORIDA 

VOL.  I 
CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

Who  Soto  was,  and  how  he  came  to  get  the 
Government  of  Florida 3 

CHAPTER  II 

How  'Cabeca  de  Vaca  arrived  at  Court,  and 
gave  Account  of  the  Country  of  Florida;  and 
of  the  Persons  who  assembled  at  Sevilla  to 
accompany  Don  Hernando  de  Soto  ....  5 

CHAPTER    III 

How  the  Portugues  went  to  Sevilla,  and  thence 
to  Sanlucar;  and  how  the  Captains  were  ap 
pointed  over  the  Ships,  and  the  People  dis 
tributed  among  them 9 

CHAPTER    IIII 

How  the  Adelantado  with  his  People  left  Spain, 
going  to  the  Canary  Islands,  and  afterward 
arrived  in  the  Antillas n 

xxi 


INDEX  OF  CHAPTERS 
CHAPTER  V 

PAGE 

Of  the  Inhabitants  there  are  in  the  City  of 
Santiago  and  other  Towns  of  the  Island,  the 
Character  of  the  Soil,  and  of  the  Fruit  .  .  .  12 

CHAPTER   VI 

How  the  Governor  sent  Dona  Ysabel  with  the 
Ships  from  Santiago  to  Havana,  while  he 
with  some  of  the  Men  went  thither  by  land  .  16 

CHAPTER    VII 

How  we  left  Havana  and  came  to  Florida,  and 
what  other  Matters  took  place 21 

CHAPTER    VIII 

Of  some  Inroads  that  were  made,  and  how  a 
Christian  was  found  who  had  been  a  long 
time  in  the  possession  of  a  Cacique  ....  25 

CHAPTER   IX 

How  the  Christian  came  to  the  Land  of  Florida, 
who  he  was,  and  of  what  passed  at  his  Inter 
view  with  the  Governor  27 

CHAPTER  X 

How  the  Governor,  having  sent  the  Ships  to 
Cuba,  marched  Inland,  leaving  one  hundred 
Men  at  the  Port  34 

CHAPTER   XI 

How  the  Governor  arrived  at  Caliquen,  and 
thence,  taking  the  Cacique  with  him,  came  to 
Napetaca,  where  the  Indians,  attempting 
to  rescue  him,  had  many  of  their  number 
killed  and  captured 38 


INDEX    OF    CHAPTERS 
CHAPTER   XII 

PAGE 

How  the  Governor  arrived  at  Palache,  and  was 
informed  that  there  was  much  Gold  inland  45 

CHAPTER    XIII 

How  the  Governor  went  from  Apalache  in 
quest  of  Yupaha,  and  what  befell  him  .  .  51 

CHAPTER   XIIII 

How  the  Governor  left  the  Province  of  Patofa, 
marching  into  a  Desert  Country,  where  he, 
with  his  People,  became  exposed  to  great 
Peril,  and  underwent  severe  Privation  .  .  59 

CHAPTER  XV 

How  the  Governor  went  from  Cutifachiqui  in 
quest  of  Coga,  and  what  occurred  to  him  on 
the  Journey 69 

CHAPTER  XVI 

How  the  Governor  left  Chiaha,  and,  having 
run  a  hazard  of  falling  by  the  Hands  of  the 
Indians  at  Acoste,  escaped  by  his  Address: 
what  occurred  to  him  on  the  Route,  and  how 
he  came  to  Coga  78 

CHAPTER    XVII 

Of  how  the  Governor  went  from  Coc,a  to 
Tastaluca  84 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

How  the  Indians  rose  upon  the  Governor,  and 
what  followed  upon  that  Rising  ....  93 

xxiii 


INDEX   OF   CHAPTERS 

CHAPTER  XIX 

PAGE 

How   the   Governor  set  his   Men   in   order  of 

Battle,  and  entered  the  town  of  Mauilla    .     .     95 

CHAPTER   XX 

How  the  Governor  set  out  from  Mauilla  to  go 
to  Chicaga,  and  what  befell  him  ....  98 

CHAPTER  XXI 

How  the  Indians  returned  to  attack  the  Chris 
tians,  and  how  the  Governor  went  to  Ali- 
mamu,  and  they  tarried  to  give  him  Battle 
in  the  Way 107 

CHAPTER   XXII 

How  the  Governor  went  from  Quizquiz,  and 
thence  to  the  River  Grande no 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

How  the  Governor  went  from  Aquixo  to  Cas- 
qui,  and  thence  to  Pacaha;  and  how  this 
Country  differs  from  the  other 116 

CHAPTER    XXIIII 

How  the  Cacique  of  Pacaha  came  in  Peace,  and 
he  of  Casqui,  having  absented  himself,  re 
turned  to  excuse  his  Conduct;  and  how  the 
Governor  made  Friendship  between  the 
Chiefs 123 

CHAPTER   XXV 

How  the  Governor  went  from  Pacaha  to  Aqui- 
guate  and  to  Coligoa,  and  came  to  Cayas      ,  129 
xxiv 


INDEX   OF   CHAPTERS 
CHAPTER   XXVI 

PAGE 

How  the  Governor  went  to  visit  the  Province 
of  Tulla,  and  what  happened  to  him  .  .  .135 

CHAPTER  XXVII 

How  the  Governor  went  from  Tulla  to  Auti- 
amque,  where  he  passed  the  Winter  .  .  .141 

CHAPTER   XXVIII 

How  the  Governor  went  from  Autiamque  to 
Nilco,  and  thence  to  Guachoya 146 

CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  Message  sent  to  Quigaltam,  and  the  An 
swer  brought  back  to  the  Governor,  and  what 
occurred  the  while  152 

CHAPTER  XXX 

The  Death  of  the  Adelantado,  Don  Hernando 
de  Soto,  and  how  Luys  Moscoso  de  Alvarado 
was  chosen  Governor  159 

CHAPTER   XXXI 

How  the  Governor  Luys  de  Moscoso  left  Gua 
choya  and  went  to  Chaguate,  and  thence  to 
Aguacay  164 

CHAPTER  XXXII 

How  the  Governor  went  from  Aguacay  to 
Naguatex,  and  what  happened  to  him  .  .  .169 

CHAPTER   XXXIII 

How  the  Cacique  of  Naguatex  came  to  visit  the 
Governor,     and     how     the     Governor     went 
thence,  and  arrived  at  Nondacao      .     .     .     .172 
xxv 


INDEX   OF   CHAPTERS 
CHAPTER    XXXIIII 

PAGE 

How  the  Governor  marched  from  Nondacao  to 
Soacatino  and  Guasco,  passing  through  a 
Wilderness,  whence,  for  want  of  a  Guide  and 
Interpreter,  he  retired  to  Nilco 176 

CHAPTER   XXXV 

How  the  Christians  returned  to  Nilco,  and 
thence  went  to  Minoya,  where  they  prepared 
to  build  Vessels  in  which  to  leave  Florida  .  181 

CHAPTER  XXXVI 

How  Seven  Brigantines  were  built,  and  the 
Christians  took  their  Departure  from  Aminoya  186 

CHAPTER   XXXVII 

How  the  Christians,  on  their  Voyage,  were 
attacked  in  the  River,  by  the  Indians  of 
Quigualtam,  and  what  happened 193 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

How  the  Christians  were  Pursued  by  the 
Indians  198 

CHAPTER   XXXIX 

How  the  Christians  came  to  the  Sea,  what 
occurred  then,  and  what  befell  them  on  the 
Voyage  202 

CHAPTER  XL 

How  the  Brigantines  lost  Sight  of  each  other 
in  a  Storm,  and  afterwards  came  together 
at  a  Kay 207 

xxvi 


INDEX   OF   CHAPTERS 
CHAPTER  XLI 

PAGE 

How  the  Christians  arrived  at  the  River  Panico  210 

CHAPTER    XLII 

How  the  Christians  came  to  Panico,  and  of 
their  Reception  by  the  Inhabitants  .  .  .  .213 

CHAPTER   XLIII 

The  Favour  the  People  found  in  the  Viceroy 
and  Residents  of  Mexico  216 

CHAPTER  XLIIII 

Which  sets  forth  some  of  the  Diversities  and 
Peculiarities  of  Florida;  and  the  Fruit, 
Birds,  and  Beasts  of  the  Country  .  .  .  .219 


xxvii 


TRUE   RELATION 

OF   THE 

VICISSITUDES    THAT    ATTENDED 

THE 

GOVERNOR  DON  HERNANDO  DE  SOTO 

AND    SOME 

NOBLES    OF    PORTUGAL    IN    THE    DISCOVERY 

OF   THE 

PROVINCE    OF    FLORIDA 

NOW   JUST    GIVEN    BY    A 

FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 


VIEWED    BY    THE    LORD    INQUISITOR 


FERNANDO    DA   SILVERIA 

Senhor    da    Serzedas,    great    Poet    and    very    Illus 
trious,  respecting  the  Material  of  this  Book, 
and  in  Praise  of  the  Author. 

EPIGRAM. 

He  who  would  see  the  New  World, 
The  Golden  Pole,*  the  second, 
Other  seas,  other  lands, 
Achievements  great,  and  wars, 
And  such  things  attempted 
As  alarm  and  give  pleasure, 
Strike  terror  and  lend  delight; — 
Read  of  the  author  this  pleasing  story, 
Where  nothing  fabulous  is  told, 
All  worthy  of  being  esteemed, 
Read,  considered,  used. 

*  We  inhabit  the  Northern  Arctic  Pole,  and  that 
people  inhabit  the  Southern  Antarctic  Pole.  Golden 
Pole  is  used  because  the  region  is  rich. 


DISCOVERY    OF    FLORIDA 


RELATION  OF  THE  TOILS  AND  HARDSHIPS  THAT 
ATTENDED  DON  HERNANDO  DE  SOTO, 
GOVERNOR  OF  FLORIDA,  IN  THE  CON 
QUEST  OF  THAT  COUNTRY;  IN  WHICH  is 

SET  FORTH  WHO  HE  WAS,  AND  ALSO  WHO 
WERE  OTHERS  WITH  HIM;  CONTAINING 
SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  PECULIARITIES 
AND  DIVERSITIES  OF  THE  COUNTRY,  OF 
ALL  THAT  THEY  SAW  AND  OF  WHAT 
BEFELL  THEM.1 

CHAPTER    I 

WHO  SOTO  WAS,  AND  HOW  HE  CAME  TO  GET  THE 
GOVERNMENT  OF  FLORIDA. 

HERNANDO  DE  SOTO  was  the  son  of  an 
esquire  of  Xerez  de  Badajoz,  and  went  to  the 
Indias  of  the  Ocean  Sea,  belonging  to  Castilla, 
at  the  time  Pedrarias  Davila  was  the  Gov- 

1  The  original  text  is  most  accessible  in  the  re 
print  of  it  in  the  Collecqao  de  Opusculos  Reim- 
pressos  Relatives  a  Historla  das  Navegagoes  Via- 

3 


•NARRATIVES   OF  DE   SOTO 


ernor.  He  had  nothing  more  than  blade  and 
-bii^kjer^  fp?  ,hjs;  courage  and  good  qualities 
Pedrarias  appointed  him  to  be  captain  of  a 
troop  of  horse,  and  he  went  by  his  order  with 
Hernando  Pizarro  to  conquer  Peru.  Accord 
ing  to  the  report  of  many  persons  who  wrere 
there,  he  distinguished  himself  over  all  the 
captains  and  principal  personages  present,  not 
only  at  the  seizure  of  Atabalipa,  lord  of  Peru, 
and  in  carrying  the  City  of  Cuzco,  but  at  all 
other  places  wheresoever  he  went  and  found 
resistance.  Hence,  apart  from  his  share  in  the 
treasure  of  Atabalipa,  he  got  a  good  amount, 
bringing  together  in  time,  from  portions  fall 
ing  to  his  lot,  one  hundred  and  eighty  thou 
sand  cruzados,  which  he  brought  with  him  to 
Spain.  Of  this  the  Emperor  borrowed  a  part, 
which  was  paid ;  six  hundred  thousand  reals 
in  duties  on  the  silks  of  Granada,  and  the  rest 
at  the  Casa  de  Contratacion. 

In  Sevilla,  Soto  employed  a  superintendent 
of  household,  an  usher,  pages,  equerry,  cham 
berlain,  footmen,  and  all  the  other  servants 
requisite  for  the  establishment  of  a  gentleman. 
Thence  he  went  to  Court,  and  while  there 
was  accompanied  by  Juan  de  Anasco  of  Se 
villa,  Luis  Moscoso  de  Alvarado,  Nuno  de 

gens  e  Conquistas  dos  Portuguezes  pela  Academia 
Real  das  Sciencias  de  Lisboa.  Tomo  I.  Lisboa, 
1875.  (B.) 

4 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

Tobar,  and  Juan  Rodriguez  Lobillo.  All, 
except  Anasco,  came  with  him  from  Peru; 
and  each  brought  fourteen  or  fifteen  thousand 
cruzados.  They  went  well  and  costly  appar 
elled  ;  and  Soto,  although  by  nature  not  pro 
fuse,  as  it  was  the  first  time  he  was  to  show 
himself  at  Court,  spent  largely,  and  went 
about  closely  attended  by  those  I  have  named, 
by  his  dependents,  and  by  many  others  who 
there  came  about  him.  He  married  Dona 
Ysabel  de  Bobadilla,  daughter  of  Pedrarias 
Davila,  Count  of  Punonrostro.  The  Em 
peror  made  him  Governor  of  the  Island  of 
Cuba  and  Adelantado  of  Florida,  with  title  of 
Marquis  to  a  certain  part  of  the  territory 
he  should  conquer. 

CHAPTER   II 

How  CABECA  DE  VACA  ARRIVED  AT  COURT,  AND  GAVE 

ACCOUNT  OF  THE  COUNTRY  OF  FLORIDA;  AND  OF 
THE  PERSONS  WHO  ASSEMBLED  AT  SEVILLA  TO 
ACCOMPANY  DON  HERNANDO  DE  SOTO. 

AFTER  Don  Hernando  had  obtained  the 
concession,  a  fidalgo  arrived  at  Court  from  the 
Indias,  Cabega  de  Vaca  by  name,  who  had 
been  in  Florida  with  Narvaez;  and  he  stated 
how  he  with  four  others  had  escaped,  taking 
the  way  to  New  Spain ;  that  the  Governor  had 
been  lost  in  the  sea,  and  the  rest  were  all  dead. 
5 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

He  brought  with  him  a  written  relation  of 
adventures,  which  said  in  some  places:  Here 
I  have  seen  this;  and  the  rest  which  I  saw  I 
leave  to  confer  of  with  His  Majesty:  gener 
ally,  however,  he  described  the  poverty  of  the 
country,  and  spoke  of  the  hardships  he  had 
undergone.  Some  of  his  kinsfolk,  desirous  of 
going  to  the  Indias,  strongly  urged  him  to  tell 
them  whether  he  had  seen  any  rich  country  in 
Florida  or  not ;  but  he  told  them  that  he  could 
not  do  so;  because  he  and  another  (by  name 
Orantes,  who  had  remained  in  New  Spain 
with  the  purpose  of  returning  into  Florida) 
had  sworn  not  to  divulge  certain  things  which 
they  had  seen,  lest  some  one  might  beg  the 
government  in  advance  of  them,  for  which  he 
had  come  to  Spain;  nevertheless,  he  gave  them 
to  understand  that  it  was  the  richest  country 
in  the  world. 

Don  Hernando  de  Soto  was  desirous  that 
Cabega  de  Vaca  should  go  with  him,  and  made 
him  favourable  proposals;  but  after  they  had 
come  upon  terms  they  disagreed,  because  the 
Adelantado  would  not  give  the  money  requisite 
to  pay  for  a  ship  that  the  other  had  bought, 
Baltasar  de  Gallegos  and  Cristobal  de  Espin- 
dola  told  Cabega  de  Vaca,  their  kinsman,  that 
as  they  had  made  up  their  minds  to  go  to 
Florida,  in  consequence  of  what  he  had  told 
them,  they  besought  him  to  counsel  them;  to 
6 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

which  he  replied,  that  the  reason  he  did  not 
go  was  because  he  hoped  to  receive  another 
government,  being  reluctant  to  march  under 
the  standard  of  another;  that  he  had  himself 
come  to  solicit  the  conquest  of  Florida,  and 
though  he  found  it  had  already  been  granted 
to  Don  Hernando  de  Soto,  yet,  on  account  of 
his  oath,  he  could  not  divulge  what  they  de 
sired  to  know;  nevertheless,  he  would  advise 
them  to  sell  their  estates  and  go— that  in  so 
doing  they  would  act  wisely. 

As  soon  as  Cabega  de  Vaca  had  an  oppor 
tunity  he  spoke  with  the  Emperor;  and  gave 
him  an  account  of  all  that  he  had  gone  through 
with,  seen,  and  could  by  any  means  ascertain. 
Of  this  relation,  made  by  word  of  mouth,  the 
Marquis  of  Astorga  was  informed.  He  de 
termined  at  once  to  send  his  brother,  Don 
Antonio  Osorio;  and  with  him  Francisco  and 
Garcia  Osorio,  two  of  his  kinsmen,  also  made 
ready  to  go.  Don  Antonio  disposed  of  sixty 
thousand  reals  income  that  he  received  of  the 
Church,  and  Francisco  of  a  village  of  vassals 
he  owned  in  Campos.  They  joined  the  Ade- 
lantado  at  Seville,  as  did  also  Nuno  de  Tobar, 
Luis  de  Moscoso,  and  Juan  Rodriguez  Lobillo. 
Moscoso  took  two  brothers;  there  went  like 
wise  Don  Carlos,  who  had  married  the  Gov 
ernor's  niece,  and  he  carried  her  with  him. 
From  Badajoz  went  Pedro  Calderon,  and 

7 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

three  kinsmen  of  the  Adelantado:  Arias 
Tinoco,  Alonso  Romo,  and  Diego  Tinoco. 

As  Luis  de  Moscoso  passed  through  Elvas, 
Andre  de  Vasconcelos  spoke  with  him,  and 
requested  him  to  speak  to  Don  Hernando  de 
Soto  in  his  behalf;  and  he  gave  him  warrants, 
issued  by  the  Marquis  of  Vilareal,  conferring 
on  him  the  captaincy  of  Ceuta,  that  he  might 
show  them;  which  when  the  Adelantado  saw, 
and  had  informed  himself  of  who  he  was,  he 
wrote  to  him  that  he  would  favour  him  in  and 
through  all,  and  would  give  him  a  command 
in  Florida.  From  Elvas  went  Andre  de 
Vasconcelos,  Fernan  Pegado,  Antonio  Mar 
tinez  Segurado,  Men,  Royz  Pereyra,  loam 
Cordeiro,  Estevan  Pegado,  Bento  Fernandez, 
Alvaro  Fernandez ;  and  from  Salamanca,  Jaen, 
Valencia,  Albuquerque,  and  other  parts  of 
Spain,  assembled  many  persons  of  noble  extrac 
tion  in  Sevilla;  so  much  so  that  many  men  of 
good  condition,  who  had  sold  their  lands,  re 
mained  behind  in  Sanlucar  for  want  of  ship 
ping,  when  for  known  countries  and  rich  it 
was  usual  to  lack  men:  and  the  cause  of  this 
was  what  Cabega  de  Vaca  had  told  the  Em 
peror,  and  given  persons  to  understand  who 
conversed  with  him  respecting  that  country. 
He  went  for  Governor  to  Rio  de  la  Plata,  but 
his  kinsmen  followed  Soto. 

Baltasar  de  Gallegos  received  the  appoint- 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

ment  of  chief  Castellan,  and  took  with  him 
his  wife.  He  sold  houses,  vineyards,  a  rent  of 
wheat,  and  ninety  geiras  of  olive-field  in  the 
Xarafe  of  Sevilla.  There  went  also  many 
other  persons  of  mark.  The  offices,  being  de 
sired  of  many,  were  sought  through  powerful 
influence :  the  place  of  Factor  was  held  by  An 
tonio  de  Biedma,  that  of  Comptroller  by  Juan 
de  Anasco,  and  that  of  Treasurer  by  Juan 
Gayton,  nephew  of  the  Cardinal  of  Ciguenza. 


CHAPTER    III 

HOW  THE  PORTUGUES  WENT  TO  SEVILLA  AND  THENCE 
TO  SANLUCAR;  AND  HOW  THE  CAPTAINS  WERE 
APPOINTED  OVER  THE  SHIPS,  AND  THE  PEOPLE 
DISTRIBUTED  AMONG  THEM. 

THE  Portugues  left  Elvas  the  I5th  day  of 
January,  and  came  to  Sevilla  on  the  vespers 
of  Saint  Sebastian.  They  went  to  the  resi 
dence  of  the  Governor ;  and  entering  the  court, 
over  which  were  some  galleries  in  which  he 
stood,  he  came  down  and  met  them  at  the 
foot  of  the  stairs,  whence  they  returned  with 
him;  and  he  ordered  chairs  to  be  brought,  in 
which  they  might  be  seated.  Andre  de  Vas- 
concelos  told  him  who  he  was,  and  who  the 
others  were;  that  they  had  all  come  to  go 
with  him,  and  aid  in  his  enterprise.  The  Ade- 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

lantado  thanked  him,  and  appeared  well  pleased 
with  their  coming  and  proffer.  The  table  be 
ing  already  laid,  he  invited  them  to  sit  down; 
and  while  at  dinner,  he  directed  his  ma 
jor-domo  to  find  lodgings  for  them  near  his 
house. 

From  Sevilla  the  Governor  went  to  San- 
lucar,  with  all  the  people  that  were  to  go.  He 
commanded  a  muster  to  be  made,  to  which 
the  Portugues  turned  out  in  polished  armour, 
and  the  Castilians  very  showily,  in  silk  over 
silk,  pinked  and  slashed.  As  such  luxury  did 
not  appear  to  him  becoming  on  such  occasion, 
he  ordered  a  review  to  be  called  for  the  next 
day,  when  every  man  should  appear  with  his 
arms ;  to  which  the  Portugues  came  as  at  first ; 
and  the  Governor  set  them  in  order  near  the 
standard  borne  by  his  ensign.  The  greater 
number  of  the  Castilians  were  in  very  sorry 
and  rusty  shirts  of  mail;  all  wore  steel  caps 
or  helmets,  but  had  very  poor  lances.  Some 
of  them  sought  to  get  among  the  Portugues. 
Those  that  Soto  liked  and  accepted  of  were 
passed,  counted,  and  enlisted ;  six  hundred 
men  in  all  followed  him  to  Florida.  He  had 
bought  seven  ships;  and  the  necessary  subsis 
tence  was  already  on  board.  He  appointed 
captains,  delivering  to  each  of  them  his  ship, 
with  a  roll  of  the  people  he  was  to  take  with 
him, 

19 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

CHAPTER    IIII 

How  THE  ADELANTADO  WITH  HIS  PEOPLE  LEFT  SPAIN, 

GOING  TO  THE   CANARY   ISLANDS,   AND   AFTERWARD 
ARRIVED   IN   THE   ANTILLAS. 

IN  the  month  of  April,  of  the  year  1538 
of  the  Christian  era,  the  Adelantado  delivered 
the  vessels  to  their  several  captains,  took  for 
himself  a  new  ship,  fast  of  sail,  and  gave 
another  to  Andre  de  Vasconcelos,  in  which  the 
Portugues  were  to  go.  He  passed  over  the 
bar  of  Sanlucar  on  Sunday,  the  morning  of 
Saint  Lazarus,  with  great  festivity,  command 
ing  the  trumpets  to  be  sounded  and  many 
charges  of  artillery  to  be  fired.  With  a  fa 
vourable  wind  he  sailed  four  days,  when  it 
lulled,  the  calms  continuing  for  eight  days, 
with  such  rolling  sea  that  the  ships  made  no 
headway. 

The  fifteenth  day  after  our  departure  we 
came  to  Gomera,  one  of  the  Canaries,  on 
Easter  Sunday,  in  the  morning.  The  Gov 
ernor  of  the  Island  was  apparelled  all  in 
white,  cloak,  jerkin,  hose,  shoes,  and  cap,  so 
that  he  looked  like  a  governor  of  Gypsies.  He 
received  the  Adelantado  with  much  pleasure, 
lodging  him  well  and  the  rest  with  him  gra 
tuitously.  To  Dona  Ysabel  he  gave  a  natural 
daughter  of  his  to  be  her  waiting-maid. 
M 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

our  money  we  got  abundant  provision  of  bread, 
wine,  and  meats,  bringing  off  with  us  what 
was  needful  for  the  ships.  Sunday  following, 
eight  days  after  arrival,  we  took  our  departure. 
On  Pentecost  we  came  into  the  harbour  of 
the  City  of  Santiago,  in  Cuba  of  the  Antillas. 
Directly  a  gentleman  of  the  town  sent  to  the 
seaside  a  splendid  roan  horse,  well  caparisoned, 
for  the  Governor  to  mount,  and  a  mule  for  his 
wife;  and  all  the  horsemen  and  footmen  in 
town  at  the  time  came  out  to  receive  him  at 
the  landing.  He  was  well  lodged,  attentively 
visited  and  served  by  all  the  citizens.  Quarters 
were  furnished  to  every  one  without  cost. 
Those  who  wished  to  go  into  the  country  were 
divided  among  the  farm-houses,  into  squads 
of  four  and  six  persons,  according  to  the  sev 
eral  ability  of  the  owners,  who  provided  them 
with  food. 

CHAPTER    V 

OF  THE  INHABITANTS  THERE  ARE  IN  THE  CITY  OF 
SANTIAGO  AND  OTHER  TOWNS  OF  THE  ISLAND, — 
THE  CHARACTER  OF  THE  SOIL  AND  OF  THE  FRUIT. 

THE  City  of  Santiago  consists  of  about 
eighty  spacious  and  well-contrived  dwellings. 
Some  are  built  of  stone  and  lime,  covered  with 
tiles:  the  greater  part  have  the  sides  of  board 
and  the  roofs  of  dried  grass.  There  are  ex- 

12 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

tensive  country  seats,  and  on  them  many  trees, 
which  differ  from  those  of  Spain.  The  fig- 
tree  bears  fruit  as  big  as  the  fist,  yellow  within 
and  of  little  flavour:  another  tree  with  a 
delicious  fruit,  called  anane,  is  of  the  shape 
and  size  of  a  small  pine-apple,  the  skin  of 
which  being  taken  off,  the  pulp  appears  like  a 
piece  of  curd.  On  the  farms  about  in  the 
country  are  other  larger  pines,  of  very  agree 
able  and  high  flavour,  produced  on  low  trees 
that  look  like  the  aloe.  Another  tree  yields  a 
fruit  called  mamei,  the  size  of  a  peach,  by  the 
islanders  more  esteemed  than  any  other  in  the 
country.  The  guayaba  is  in  the  form  of  a 
filbert,  and  is  the  size  of  a  fig.  There  is  a 
tree,  which  is  a  stalk  without  any  branch,  the 
height  of  a  lance,  each  leaf  the  length  of  a 
javelin,  the  fruit  of  the  size  and  form  of  a 
cucumber,  the  bunch  having  twenty  or  thirty 
of  them,  with  which  the  tree  goes  on  bending 
down  more  and  more  as  they  grow:  they  are 
called  plantanos  in  that  country,  are  of  good 
flavour,  and  will  ripen  after  they  are  gathered, 
although  they  are  better  when  they  mature  on 
the  tree.  The  stalks  yield  fruit  but  once, 
when  they  are  cut  down,  and  others,  which 
spring  up  at  the  butt,  bear  in  the  coming  year. 
There  is  another  fruit  called  batata,  the  sub 
sistence  of  a  multitude  of  people,  principally 
slaves,  and  now  grows  in  the  Island  of  Ter- 
13 


NARRATIVES  OF  DE  SOTO 

ceira,  belonging  to  this  kingdom  of  Portugal. 
It  is  produced  in  the  earth,  and  looks  like  the 
ynhame,  with  nearly  the  taste  of  chestnut. 
The  bread  of  the  country  is  made  from  a  root 
that  looks  like  the  batata,  the  stalk  of  which 
is  like  alder.  The  ground  for  planting  is  pre 
pared  in  hillocks;  into  each  are  laid  four  or 
five  stalks,  and  a  year  and  a  half  after  they 
have  been  set  the  crop  is  fit  to  be  dug.  Should 
any  one,  mistaking  the  root  for  batata,  eat  any 
of  it,  he  is  in  imminent  danger;  as  experience 
has  shown,  in  the  case  of  a  soldier,  who  died 
instantly  from  swallowing  a  very  little.  The 
roots  being  peeled  and  crushed,  they  are 
squeezed  in  a  sort  of  press;  the  juice  that 
flows  has  an  offensive  smell;  the  bread  is  of 
little  taste  and  less  nourishment.  The  fruit 
from  Spain  are  figs  and  oranges,  which  are 
produced  the  year  round,  the  soil  being  very 
rich  and  fertile. 

There  are  numerous  cattle  and  horses  in 
the  country,  which  find  fresh  grass  at  all  sea 
sons.  From  the  many  wild  cows  and  hogs, 
the  inhabitants  everywhere  are  abundantly 
supplied  with  meat.  Out  of  the  towns  are 
many  fruits  wild  over  the  country;  and,  as  it 
sometimes  happens,  when  a  Christian  misses 
his  way  and  is  lost  for  fifteen  or  twenty  days, 
because  of  the  many  paths  through  the  thick 
woods  made  by  the  herds  traversing  to  and 


A  FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

fro,  he  will  live  on  fruit  and  on  wild  cabbage, 
there  being  many  and  large  palm-trees  every 
where  which  yield  nothing  else  available 
beside. 

The  Island  of  Cuba  is  three  hundred 
leagues  long  from  east  to  southeast,  and  in 
places  thirty,  in  others  forty  leagues  from  north 
to  south.  There  are  six  towns  of  Christians, 
which  are,  Santiago,  Baracoa,  the  Bayamo, 
Puerto  Principe,  Sancti  Spiritus,  and  Ha 
vana.  They  each  have  between  thirty  and 
forty  householders,  except  Santiago  and  Ha 
vana,  which  have  some  seventy  or  eighty 
dwellings  apiece.  The  towns  have  all  a  chap 
lain  to  hear  confession,  and  a  church  in  which 
to  say  mass.  In  Santiago  is  a  monastery  of  the 
order  of  Saint  Francis;  it  has  few  friars, 
though  well  supported  by  tithes,  as  the  country 
is  rich.  The  Church  of  Santiago  is  endowed, 
has  a  cura,  a  prebend,  and  many  priests,  as 
it  is  the  church  of  the  city  which  is  the 
metropolis. 

Although  the  earth  contains  much  gold, 
there  are  few  slaves  to  seek  it,  many  having 
destroyed  themselves  because  of  the  hard  usage 
they  receive  from  the  Christians  in  the  mines. 
The  overseer  of  Vasco  Porcallo,  a  resident  of 
the  Island,  having  understood  that  his  slaves 
intended  to  hang  themselves,  went  with  a  cud 
gel  in  his  hand  and  waited  for  them  in  the 

15 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

place  at  which  they  were  to  meet,  where  he 
told  them  that  they  could  do  nothing,  nor 
think  of  any  thing,  that  he  did  not  know  be 
forehand  ;  that  he  had  come  to  hang  himself 
with  them,  to  the  end  that  if  he  gave  them  a 
bad  life  in  this  world,  a  worse  would  he  give 
them  in  that  to  come.  This  caused  them  to 
alter  their  purpose  and  return  to  obedience. 


CHAPTER    VI 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  SENT  DONA  YSABEL  WITH  THE 
SHIPS  FROM  SANTIAGO  TO  HAVANA,  WHILE  HE 
WITH  SOME  OF  THE  MEN  WENT  THITHER  BY  LAND. 

THE  Governor  sent  Don  Carlos  with  the 
ships,  in  company  with  Dona  Ysabel,  to  tarry 
for  him  at  Havana,  a  port  in  the  eastern  end 
of  the  Island,  one  hundred  and  eighty  leagues 
from  Santiago.  He  and  those  that  remained, 
having  bought  horses,  set  out  on  their  journey, 
and  at  the  end  of  twenty-five  leagues  came  to 
Bayamo,  the  first  town.  They  were  lodged, 
as  they  arrived,  in  parties  of  four  and  six, 
where  their  food  was  given  to  them ;  and  noth 
ing  was  paid  for  any  other  thing  than  maize 
for  the  beasts;  because  the  Governor  at  each 
town  assessed  tax  on  the  tribute  paid,  and  the 
labour  done,vby  the  Indians. 

A  deep  river  runs  near  Bayamo,  larger  than 
if 


A  FIDALGO  OF  ELVAS 

the  Guadiana,  called  Tanto.  The  monstrous 
alligators  do  harm  in  it  sometimes  to  the 
Indians  and  animals  in  the  crossing.  In  all 
the  country  there  are  no  wolves,  foxes, 
bears,  lions,  nor  tigers:  there  are  dogs 
in  the  woods,  which  have  run  wild  from  the 
houses,  that  feed  upon  the  swine:  there  are 
snakes,  the  size  of  a  man's  thigh,  and  even 
bigger;  but  they  are  very  sluggish  and  do  no 
kind  of  injury.  From  that  town  to  Puerto 
Principe  there  are  fifty  leagues.  The  roads 
throughout  the  Island  are  made  by  cutting 
out  the  undergrowth,  which  if  neglected  to  be 
gone  over,  though  only  for  a  single  year,  the 
shrubs  spring  up  in  such  manner  that  the  ways 
disappear;  and  so  numerous  likewise  are  the 
paths  made  by  cattle,  that  no  one  can  travel 
without  an  Indian  of  the  country  for  a 
guide,  there  being  everywhere  high  and  thick 
woods. 

From  Puerto  Principe  the  Governor  went 
by  sea  in  a  canoe  to  the  estate  of  Vasco  Por- 
callo,  near  the  coast,  to  get  news  of  Dona 
Ysabel,  who,  at  the  time,  although  not  then 
known,  was  in  a  situation  of  distress,  the  ships 
having  parted  company,  two  or  them  being 
driven  in  sight  of  the  coast  of  Florida,  and  all 
on  board  were  suffering  for  lack  of  water  and 
subsistence.  The  storm  over,  and  the  vessels 
come  together,  not  knowing  where  they  had 

17 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

been  tossed,  Cape  San  Antonio  was  described, 
an  uninhabited  part  of  the  Island,  where  they 
got  water;  and  at  the  end  of  forty  days  from 
the  time  of  leaving  Santiago,  they  arrived  at 
Havana.  The  Governor  presently  received 
the  news  and  hastened  to  meet  Dona  Ysabel. 
The  troops  that  went  by  land,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  mounted  men  in  number,  not  to  be 
burdensome  upon  the  Islanders,  were  divided 
into  two  squadrons,  and  marched  to  Sancti 
Spiritus,  sixty  leagues  from  Puerto  Principe. 
The  victual  they  carried  was  the  cagabe  bread 
I  have  spoken  of,  the  nature  of  which  is  such 
that  it  directly  dissolves  from  moisture; 
whence  it  happened  that  some  ate  meat  and 
no  bread  for  many  days.  They  took  dogs  with 
them,  and  a  man  of  the  country,  who  hunted 
as  they  journeyed,  and  who  killed  the  hogs  at 
night  found  further  necessary  for  provision 
where  they  stopped;  so  that  they  had  abun 
dant  supply,  both  of  beef  and  pork.  They 
found  immense  annoyance  from  mosquitos, 
particularly  in  a  lake  called  Bog  of  Pia,  which 
they  had  much  ado  in  crossing  between  mid 
day  and  dark,  it  being  more  than  half  a  league 
over,  full  half  a  bow-shot  of  the  distance 
swimming,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  way  the 
water  waist  deep,  having  clams  on  the  bottom 
that  sorely  cut  the  feet,  for  not  a  boot  nor 
shoe  sole  was  left  entire  at  half  way.  The 
18 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

,i  '  ,i.:,  ci*^  *i  •  i 
clothing  and  saddles  were  floated  over  in 
baskets  of  palm-leaf.  In  this  time  the  insects 
came  in  great  numbers  and  settled  on  the 
person  where  exposed,  their  bite  raising  lumps 
that  smarted  keenly,  a  single  blow  with  the 
hand  sufficing  to  kill  so  many  that  the  blood 
would  run  over  the  arms  and  body.  There 
was  little  rest  at  night,  as  happened  also  after 
wards  at  like  seasons  and  places. 

They  came  to  Sancti  Spiritus,  a  town  of 
thirty  houses,  near  which  passes  a  little  river. 
The  grounds  are  very  fertile  and  pleasant, 
abundant  in  good  oranges,  citrons,  and  native 
fruit.  Here  one  half  the  people  were  lodged ; 
the  other  half  went  on  twenty-five  leagues 
farther,  to  a  town  of  fifteen  or  twenty  house 
holders,  called  Trinidad.  There  is  a  hospital 
for  the  poor,  the  only  one  in  the  Island.  They 
say  the  town  was  once  the  largest  of  any; 
and  that  before  the  Christians  came  into  the 
country  a  ship  sailing  along  the  coast  had  in 
her  a  very  sick  man,  who  begged  to  be  set 
on  shore,  which  the  captain  directly  ordered, 
and  the  vessel  kept  on  her  way.  The  inhabi 
tants,  finding  him  where  he  had  been  left,  on 
that  shore  which  had  never  yet  been  hunted 
up  by  Christians,  carried  him  home,  and  took 
care  of  him  until  he  was  well.  The  Chief 
of  the  town  gave  him  a  daughter;  and  being 
at  war  with  the  country  round  about,  through 

19 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

the  prowess  and  exertion  of  the  Christian  he 
subdued  and  reduced  to  his  control  all  the 
people  of  Cuba.  A  long  time  after,  when 
Diego  Velasquez  went  to  conquer  the  Island, 
whence  he  made  the  discovery  of  New  Spain, 
this  man,  then  among  the  natives,  brought 
them,  by  his  management,  to  obedience,  and 
put  them  under  the  rule  of  that  Governor. 

From  Trinidad  they  travelled  a  distance  of 
eighty  leagues  without  a  town,  and  arrived 
at  Havana  in  the  end  of  March.  They  found 
the  Governor  there,  and  the  rest  of  the  people 
who  had  come  with  him  from  Spain.  He  sent 
Juan  de  Anasco  in  a  caravel,  with  two  pin 
naces  and  fifty  men,  to  explore  the  harbour 
in  Florida,  who  brought  back  two  Indians 
taken  on  the  coast.  In  consequence,  as  much 
because  of  the  necessity  of  having  them  for 
guides  and  interpreters,  as  because  they  said, 
by  signs,  that  there  was  much  gold  in  Florida, 
the  Governor  and  all  the  company  were 
greatly  rejoiced,  and  longed  for  the  hour  of 
departure — that  land  appearing  to  them  to  be 
the  richest  of  any  which  until  then  had  been 
discovered. 


20 


A    FIDALGO    OF    ELVAS 

CHAPTER    VII 

How  WE  LEFT  HAVANA  AND  CAME  TO  FLORIDA,  AND 

WHAT  OTHER   MATTERS  TOOK  PLACE. 

BEFORE  our  departure,  the  Governor  de 
prived  Nufio  de  Tobar  of  the  rank  of  Captain- 
General,  and  conferred  it  on  a  resident  of 
Cuba,  Vasco  Porcallo  de  Figueroa,  which 
caused  the  vessels  to  be  well  provisioned,  he 
giving  a  great  many  hogs  and  loads  of  cagabe 
bread.  That  was  done  because  Nuno  de 
Tobar  had  made  love  to  Dona  Ysabel's  wait 
ing-maid,  daughter  of  the  Governor  of  Go- 
mera ;  and  though  he  had  lost  his  place,  yet,  to 
return  to  Soto's  favour,  for  she  was  with  child 
by  him,  he  took  her  to  wife  and  went  to 
Florida.  Dona  Ysabel  remained,  and  with 
her  the  wrife  of  Don  Carlos,  of  Baltasar  de 
Gallegos,  and  of  Nuno  de  Tobar.  The  Gov 
ernor  left,  as  his  lieutenant  over  the  Island, 
Juan  de  Rojas,  a  fidalgo  of  Havana. 

On  Sunday,  the  i8th  day  of  May,  in  the 
year  1539,  the  Adelantado  sailed  from  Havana 
with  a  fleet  of  nine  vessels,  five  of  them  ships, 
two  caravels,  two  pinnaces;  and  he  ran  seven 
days  with  favourable  weather.  On  the  25th 
of  the  month,  being  the  festival  of  Espiritu 
Santo,  the  land  was  seen,  and  anchor  cast  a 
league  from  shore,  because  of  the  shoals.  On 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE    SOTO 

Friday,  the  3Oth,  the  army  landed  in  Florida, 
two  leagues  from  the  town  of  an  Indian 
chief  named  Ucita.  Two  hundred  and  thir 
teen  horses  were  set  on  shore,  to  unburden 
the  ships,  that  they  should  draw  the  less  wTater ; 
the  seamen  only  remained  on  board,  who  going 
up  every  day  a  little  with  the  tide,  the  end  of 
eight  days  brought  them  near  to  the  town. 
So  soon  as  the  people  were  come  to  land, 
the  camp  was  pitched  on  the  sea-side,  nigh  the 
bay,  which  goes  up  close  to  the  town.  Pres 
ently  the  Captain-General,  Vasco  Porcallo, 
taking  seven  horsemen  with  him,  beat  up  the 
country  half  a  league  about,  and  discovered 
six  Indians,  who  tried  to  resist  him  with 
arrows,  the  weapons  they  are  accustomed  to 
use.  The  horsemen  killed  two,  and  the  four 
others  escaped,  the  country  being  obstructed 
by  bushes  and  ponds,  in  which  the  horses 
bogged  and  fell,  with  their  riders,  of  weakness 
from  the  voyage.  At  night  the  Governor, 
with  a  hundred  men  in  the  pinnaces,  came 
upon  a  deserted  town;  for,  so  soon  as  the 
Christians  appeared  in  sight  of  land,  they 
were  descried,  and  all  along  on  the  coast 
many  smokes  were  seen  to  rise,  which  the 
Indians  make  to  warn  one  another.  The  next 
day,  Luis  de  Moscoso,  Master  of  the  Camp, 
set  the  men  in  order.  The  horsemen  he  put 
in  three  squadrons — the  vanguard,  battalion, 
23 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

and  rearward;  and  thus  they  marched  that 
day  and  the  next,  compassing  great  creeks 
which  run  up  from  the  bay;  and  on  the  first 
of  June,  being  Trinity  Sunday,  they  arrived 
at  the  town  of  Ucita,  where  the  Governor 
tarried. 

The  town  was  of  seven  or  eight  houses, 
built  of  timber,  and  covered  with  palm-leaves. 
The  Chief's  house  stood  near  the  beach,  upon 
a  very  high  mount  made  by  hand  for  defence ; 
at  the  other  end  of  the  town  was  a  temple,  on 
the  top  of  which  perched  a  wooden  fowl  with 
gilded  eyes,  and  within  were  found  some 
pearls  of  small  value,  injured  by  fire,  such  as 
the  Indians  pierce  for  beads,  much  esteeming 
them,  and  string  to  wear  about  the  neck  and 
wrists.  The  Governor  lodged  in  the  house 
of  the  Chief,  and  with  him  Vasco  Porcallo 
and  Luis  de  Moscoso;  in  other  houses,  mid 
way  in  the  town,  was  lodged  the  Chief  Cas 
tellan,  Baltasar  de  Gallegos,  where  were  set 
apart  the  provisions  brought  in  the  vessels. 
The  rest  of  the  dwellings,  with  the  temple, 
were  thrown  down,  and  every  mess  of  three 
or  four  soldiers  made  a  cabin,  wherein  they 
lodged.  The  ground  about  was  very  fenny, 
and  encumbered  with  dense  thicket  and  high 
trees.  The  Governor  ordered  the  woods  to 
be  felled  the  distance  of  a  crossbow-shot 
around  the  place,  that  the  horses  might  run, 
23 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

and  the  Christians  have  the  advantage,  should 
the  Indians  make  an  attack  at  night.  In  the 
paths,  and  at  proper  points,  sentinels  of  foot- 
soldiers  were  set  in  couples,  who  watched  by 
turns;  the  horsemen,  going  the  rounds,  were 
ready  to  support  them  should  there  be  an 
alarm. 

The  Governor  made  four  captains  of  horse 
men  and  two  of  footmen:  those  of  the  horse 
were  Andre  de  Vasconcelos,  Pedro  Calderon 
of  Badajoz,  and  the  two  Cardenosas  his  kins 
men  (Arias  Tinoco  and  Alfonso  Romo),  also 
natives  of  Badajoz;  those  of  the  foot  were 
Francisco  Maldonado  of  Salamanca,  and 
Juan  Rodriguez  Lobillo.  While  we  were  in 
this  town  of  Ucita,  the  Indians  which  Juan 
de  Anasco  had  taken  on  that  coast,  and  were 
with  the  Governor  as  guides  and  interpreters, 
through  the  carelessness  of  two  men  who  had 
charge  of  them,  got  away  one  night.  For  this 
the  Governor  felt  very  sorry,  as  did  every  one 
else;  for  some  excursions  had  already  been 
made,  and  no  Indians  could  be  taken,  the 
country  being  of  very  high  and  thick  woods, 
and  in  many  places  was  marshy. 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

CHAPTER    VIII 

OF  SOME  INROADS  THAT  WERE  MADE,  AND  HOW  A 
CHRISTIAN  WAS  FOUND  WHO  HAD  BEEN  A  LONG 
TIME  IN  THE  POSSESSION  OF  A  CACIQUE. 

FROM  the  town  of  Ucita  the  Governor  sent 
the  Chief  Castellan,  Baltasar  de  Gallegos,  into 
the  country,  with  forty  horsemen  and  eighty 
footmen,  to  procure  an  Indian  if  possible.  In 
another  direction  he  also  sent,  for  the  same 
purpose,  Captain  Juan  Rodriguez  Lobillo, 
with  fifty  infantry:  the  greater  part  were  of 
sword  and  buckler;  the  remainder  w^ere  cross 
bow  and  gun  men.  The  command  of  Lobillo 
marched  over  a  swampy  land,  where  horses 
could  not  travel;  and,  half  a  league  from 
camp,  came  upon  some  huts  near  a  river.  The 
people  in  them  plunged  into  the  water;  never 
theless,  four  women  were  secured ;  and  twenty 
warriors,  who  attacked  our  people,  so  pressed 
us  that  we  were  forced  to  retire  into  camp. 

The  Indians  are  exceedingly  ready  with 
their  weapons,  and  so  warlike  and  nimble, 
that  they  have  no  fear  of  footmen;  for  if 
these  charge  them  they  flee,  and  when  they 
turn  their  backs  they  are  presently  upon  them. 
They  avoid  nothing  more  easily  than  the  flight 
of  an  arrow.  They  never  remain  quiet,  but 
are  continually  running,  traversing  from  place 
25 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

to  place,  so  that  neither  crossbow  nor  arque- 
buse  can  be  aimed  at  them.  Before  a  Christian 
can  make  a  single  shot  with  either,  an  Indian 
will  discharge  three  or  four  arrows;  and  he 
seldom  misses  of  his  object.  Where  the  arrow 
meets  with  no  armour,  it  pierces  as  deeply 
as  the  shaft  from  a  crossbow.  Their  bows  are 
very  perfect;  the  arrows  are  made  of  certain 
canes,  like  reeds,  very  heavy,  and  so  stiff 
that  one  of  them,  when  sharpened,  will  pass 
through  a  target.  Some  are  pointed  with  the 
bone  of  a  fish,  sharp  and  like  a  chisel;  others 
with  some  stone  like  a  point  of  diamond:  of 
such  the  greater  number,  when  they  strike 
upon  armour,  break  at  the  place  the  parts  are 
put  together;  those  of  cane  split,  and  will 
enter  a  shirt  of  mail,  doing  more  injury  than 
when  armed. 

Juan  Rodriguez  Lobillo  got  back  to  camp 
with  six  men  wounded,  of  whom  one  died, 
and  he  brought  with  him  the  four  women 
taken  in  the  huts,  or  cabins.  When  Baltasar 
de  Gallegos  came  into  the  open  field,  he  dis 
covered  ten  or  eleven  Indians,  among  whom 
was  a  Christian,  naked  and  sun-burnt,  his 
arms  tattooed  after  their  manner,  and  he  in 
no  respect  differing  from  them.  As  soon  as 
the  horsemen  came  in  sight,  they  ran  upon 
the  Indians,  who  fled,  hiding  themselves  in  a 
thicket,  though  not  before  two  or  three  of 
26 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

them  were  overtaken  and  wounded.  The 
Christian,  seeing  a  horseman  coming  upon  him 
with  a  lance,  began  to  cry  out:  "Do  not 
kill  me,  cavalier;  I  am  a  Christian!  Do  not 
slay  these  people;  they  have  given  me  my 
life!  "  Directly  he  called  to  the  Indians,  put 
ting  them  out  of  fear,  when  they  left  the 
wood  and  came  to  him.  The  horsemen  took 
up  the  Christian  and  Indians  behind  them  on 
their  beasts,  and,  greatly  rejoicing,  got  back 
to  the  Governor  at  nightfall.  When  he  and 
the  rest  who  had  remained  in  camp  heard  the 
news,  they  were  no  less  pleased  than  the 
others. 

CHAPTER    IX 

How  THE  CHRISTIAN  CAME  TO  THE  LAND  OF  FLORIDA, 

WHO  HE  WAS,  AND  OF  WHAT  PASSED  AT  HIS  INTER 
VIEW  WITH  THE  GOVERNOR. 

THE  name  of  the  Christian  was  Juan  Ortiz, 
a  native  of  Sevilla,  and  of  noble  parentage. 
He  had  been  twelve  years  among  the  Indians, 
having  gone  into  the  country  with  Panphilo 
de  Narvaez,  and  returned  in  the  ships  to  the 
Island  of  Cuba,  where  the  wife  of  the  Gov 
ernor  remained ;  whence,  by  her  command,  he 
went  back  to  Florida,  with  some  twenty  or 
thirty  others,  in  a  pinnace;  and  coming  to  the 
port  in  sight  of  the  town,  they  saw  a  cane 
27 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

sticking  upright  in  the  ground,  with  a  split 
in  the  top,  holding  a  letter,  which  they  sup 
posed  the  Governor  had  left  there,  to  give 
information  of  himself  before  marching  into 
the  interior.  They  asked  it,  to  be  given  to 
them,  of  four  or  five  Indians  walking  along 
the  beach,  who,  by  signs,  bade  them  come  to 
land  for  it,  which  Ortiz  and  another  did, 
though  contrary  to  the  wishes  of  the  others. 
No  sooner  had  they  got  on  shore,  when  many 
natives  came  out  of  the  houses,  and,  drawing 
near,  held  them  in  such  way  that  they  could 
not  escape.  One,  who  would  have  defended 
himself,  they  slew  on  the  spot;  the  other  they 
seized  by  the  hands,  and  took  him  to  Ucita, 
their  Chief.  The  people  in  the  pinnace,  un 
willing  to  land,  kept  along  the  coast  and  re 
turned  to  Cuba. 

By  command  of  Ucita,  Juan  Ortiz  was 
bound  hand  and  foot  to  four  stakes,  and  laid 
upon  scaffolding,  beneath  which  a  fire  was 
kindled,  that  he  might  be  burned;  but  a 
daughter  of  the  Chief  entreated  that  he  might 
be  spared.  Though  one  Christian,  she  said, 
might  do  no  good,  certainly  he  could  do  no 
harm,  and  it  would  be  an  honour  to  have 
one  for  a  captive ;  to  which  the  father  acceded, 
directing  the  injuries  to  be  healed.  When 
Ortiz  got  well,  he  was  put  to  watching  a 
temple,  that  the  wolves,  in  the  night-time, 
28 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

might  not  carry  off  the  dead  there,  which 
charge  he  took  in  hand,  having  commended 
himself  to  God.  One  night  they  snatched 
away  from  him  the  body  of  a  little  child,  son 
of  a  principal  man;  and,  going  after  them,  he 
threw  a  dart  at  the  wolf  that  was  escaping, 
which,  feeling  itself  wounded,  let  go  its  hold, 
and  went  off  to  die;  and  he  returned,  without 
knowing  what  he  had  done  in  the  dark.  In 
the  morning,  finding  the  body  of  the  little  boy 
gone,  he  became  very  sober;  and  Ucita,  when 
he  heard  what  had  happened,  determined  he 
should  be  killed;  but  having  sent  on  the  trail 
which  Oritz  pointed  out  as  that  the  wolves 
had  made,  the  body  of  the  child  was  found, 
and  a  little  farther  on  a  dead  wolf;  at  which 
circumstance  the  Chief  became  well  pleased 
with  the  Christian,  and  satisfied  with  the 
guard  he  had  kept,  ever  after  taking  much 
notice  of  him. 

Three  years  having  gone  by  since  he  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  this  Chief,  there  came 
another,  named  Mocogo,  living  two  days' 
journey  distant  from  that  port,  and  burnt  the 
town,  when  Ucita  fled  to  one  he  had  in  another 
seaport,  whereby  Ortiz  lost  his  occupation, 
and  with  it  the  favour  of  his  master.  The 
Indians  are  worshippers  of  the  Devil,  and  it 
is  their  custom  to  make  sacrifices  of  the  blood 
and  bodies  of  their  people,  or  of  those  of  any 
29 


NARRATIVES   OP  DE   SOTO 

other  they  can  come  by;  and  they  affirm,  too, 
that  when  he  would  have  them  make  an  offer 
ing,  he  speaks,  telling  them  that  he  is  athirst, 
and  that  they  must  sacrifice  to  him.  The  girl 
who  had  delivered  Ortiz  from  the  fire,  told 
him  how  her  father  had  the  mind  to  sacrifice 
him  the  next  day,  and  that  he  must  flee  to 
Mocogo,  who  she  knew  would  receive  him 
with  regard,  as  she  had  heard  that  he  had  asked 
for  him,  and  said  he  would  like  to  see  him: 
and  as  he  knew  not  the  way,  she  went  half  a 
league  out  of  town  with  him  at  dark,  to  put 
him  on  the  road,  returning  early  so  as  not  to 
be  missed. 

Ortiz  travelled  all  night,  and  in  the  morn 
ing  came  to  a  river,  the  boundary  of  the  ter 
ritory  of  Mocogo,  where  he  discovered  two 
men  fishing.  As  this  people  were  at  war  with 
those  of  Ucita,  and  their  languages  different, 
he  did  not  know  how  he  should  be  able  to 
tell  them  who  he  was,  and  why  he  came,  or 
make  other  explanation,  that  they  might  not 
kill  him  as  one  of  the  enemy.  It  was  not, 
however,  until  he  had  come  up  to  where  their 
arms  were  placed  that  he  was  discovered,  when 
they  fled  towards  the  town;  and  though  he 
called  out  to  them  to  wait,  that  he  would  do 
them  no  injury,  they  only  ran  the  faster  for 
not  understanding  him.  As  they  arrived, 
shouting,  many  Indians  came  out  of  the  town, 
30 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

and  began  surrounding,  in  order  to  shoot 
him  with  their  arrows,  when  he,  finding  him 
self  pressed,  took  shelter  behind  trees,  crying 
aloud  that  he  was  a  Christian  fled  from  Ucita, 
come  to  visit  and  serve  Mocogo.  At  the 
moment,  it  pleased  God  that  an  Indian  should 
come  up,  who,  speaking  the  language,  under 
stood  him  and  quieted  the  others,  telling  them 
what  was  said.  Three  or  four  ran  to  carry  the 
news,  when  the  Cacique,  much  gratified,  came 
a  quarter  of  a  league  on  the  way  to  receive  him. 
He  caused  the  Christian  immediately  to  swear 
to  him,  according  to  the  custom  of  his  country, 
that  he  would  not  leave  him  for  any  other 
master;  and,  in  return,  he  promised  to  show 
him  much  honour,  and  if  at  any  time  Chris 
tians  should  come  to  that  land,  he  would  let 
him  go  freely,  and  give  him  his  permission  to 
return  to  them,  pledging  his  oath  to  this  after 
the  Indian  usage. 

Three  years  from  that  time,  some  people 
fishing  out  at  sea,  three  leagues  from  land, 
brought  news  of  having  seen  ships;  when 
MOCOC.O,  calling  Ortiz,  gave  him  permission 
to  depart,  who,  taking  leave,  made  all  haste 
possible  to  the  shore,  where,  finding  no  vessels, 
he  supposed  the  story  to  be  only  a  device  of 
the  Cacique  to  discover  his  inclination.  In 
this  way  he  remained  with  him  nine  years, 
having  little  hope  of  ever  seeing  Christians 
31 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

more;  but  no  sooner  had  the  arrival  of  the 
Governor  in  Florida  taken  place,  when  it  was 
known  to  Mocogo,  who  directly  told  Ortiz 
that  Christians  were  in  the  town  of  Ucita. 
The  captive,  thinking  himself  jested  with,  as 
he  had  supposed  himself  to  be  before,  said 
that  his  thoughts  no  longer  dwelt  on  his  peo 
ple,  and  that  his  only  wish  now  was  to  serve 
him.  Still  the  Cacique  assured  him  that  it 
was  even  as  he  stated,  and  gave  him  leave  to 
go,  telling  him  that  if  he  did  not,  and  the 
Christians  should  depart,  he  must  not  blame 
him,  for  he  had  fulfilled  his  promise. 

Great  was  the  joy  of  Ortiz  at  this  news, 
though  still  doubtful  of  its  truth;  however, 
he  thanked  Mocogo,  and  went  his  way.  A 
dozen  principal  Indians  were  sent  to  accom 
pany  him;  and  on  their  way  to  the  port,  they 
met  Baltasar  de  Gallegos,  in  the  manner  that 
has  been  related.  Arrived  at  the  camp,  the 
Governor  ordered  that  apparel  be  given  to 
him,  good  armour,  and  a  fine  horse.  When 
asked  if  he  knew  of  any  country  where  there 
was  either  gold  or  silver,  he  said  that 
he  had  not  been  ten  leagues  in  any  direction 
from  where  he  lived;  but  that  thirty  leagues 
distant  was  a  chief  named  Paracoxi,  to  whom 
Mocogo,  Ucita,  and  all  they  that  dwelt  along 
the  coast  paid  tribute,  and  that  he  perhaps  had 
knowledge  of  some  good  country,  as  his  land 
32 


A  FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

was  better  than  theirs,  being  more  fertile, 
abounding  in  maize.  Hearing  this,  the  Gov 
ernor  was  well  pleased,  and  said  he  only  de 
sired  to  find  subsistence,  that  he  might  be 
enabled  to  go  inland  with  safety;  for  that 
Florida  was  so  wide,  in  some  part  or  other  of 
it,  there  could  not  fail  to  be  a  rich  coun 
try.  The  Cacique  of  Mocogo  came  to  the 
port,  and  calling  on  the  Governor,  he  thus 
spoke : 

MOST  HIGH  AND  POWERFUL  CHIEF: 

Though  less  able,  I  believe,  to  serve  you  than  the 
least  of  these  under  your  control,  but  with -the  wish 
to  do  more  than  even  the  greatest  of  them  can  ac 
complish,  I  appear  before  you  in  the  full  confidence 
of  receiving  your  favour,  as  much  so  as  though  I 
deserved  it,  not  in  requital  of  the  trifling  service  I 
rendered  in  setting  free  the  Christian  while  he  was 
in  my  power,  which  I  did,  not  for  the  sake  of  my 
honour  and  of  my  promise,  but  because  I  hold  that 
great  men  should  be  liberal.  As  much  as  in  your 
bodily  perfections  you  exceed  all,  and  in  your  com 
mand  over  fine  men  are  you  superior  to  others,  so 
in  your  nature  are  you  equal  to  the  full  enjoyment 
of  earthly  things.  The  favour  I  hope  for,  great 
Lord,  is  that  you  will  hold  me  to  be  your  own, 
calling  on  me  freely  to  do  whatever  may  be  your 
wish. 

The  Governor  answered  him,  that  although 
it  were  true,  in  freeing  and  sending  him  the 
Christian,  he  had  done  no  more  than  to  keep 

33 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

his  word  and  preserve  his  honour,  neverthe 
less  he  thanked  him  for  an  act  so  valuable, 
that  there  was  no  other  for  him  that  could 
be  compared  to  it,  and  that,  holding  him 
henceforth  to  be  a  brother,  he  should  in  all, 
and  through  all,  favour  him.  Then  a  shirt  and 
some  other  articles  of  clothing  were  directed 
to  be  given  to  the  Chief,  who,  thankfully  re 
ceiving  them,  took  leave  and  went  to  his  town. 


CHAPTER    X 

How  THE  GOVERNOR,  HAVING  SENT  THE  SHIPS  TO 
CUBA,  MARCHED  INLAND,  LEAVING  ONE  HUN 
DRED  MEN  AT  THE  PORT. 

FROM  the  port  of  Espiritu  Santo,  where  the 
Governor  was,  he  sent  the  Chief  Castellan, 
with  fifty  cavalry  and  thirty  or  forty  infantry, 
to  the  Province  of  Paracoxi,  to  observe  the 
character  of  the  country,  inquire  of  that  far 
ther  on,  #nd  to  let  him  hear  by  message  of 
what  he  should  discover ;  he  also  sent  the 
vessels  to  Cuba,  that,  at  an  appointed  time, 
they  might  return  with  provisions.  As  the 
principal  object  of  Vasco  Porcallo  de  Figueroa 
in  coming  to  Florida  had  been  to  get  slaves 
for  his  plantation  and  mines,  finding,  after 
some  incursions,  that  no  seizures  could  be 
made,  because  of  dense  forest  and  extensive 

34 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

bogs,  he  determined  to  go  back  to  Cuba; 
and  in  consequence  of  that  resolution,  there 
grew  up  such  a  difference  between  him  and 
Soto,  that  neither  of  them  treated  nor  spoke 
to  the  other  kindly.  Still,  with  words  of 
courtesy,  he  asked  permission  of  him  to  return, 
and  took  his  leave. 

Baltasar  de  Gallegos,  having  arrived  at 
Paracoxi,  thirty  Indians  came  to  him  on  the 
part  of  the  absent  Cacique,  one  of  whom  said : 
"  King  Paracoxi,  lord  of  this  Province,  whose 
vassals  we  are,  sends  us  to  ask  of  you  what  it 
is  you  seek  in  his  country,  and  in  what  he  can 
serve  you ; "  to  which  the  Chief  Castellan 
replied,  that  he  much  thanked  the  Cacique  for 
his  proffer,  and  bade  them  tell  him  to  return 
to  his  town,  where  they  would  talk  together 
of  a  peace  and  friendship  he  greatly  desired  to 
establish.  They  went  off,  and  came  again 
the  next  day,  reporting  that  as  their  lord  could 
not  appear,  being  very  unwell,  they  had  come 
in  his  stead  to  see  what  might  be  wanted. 
They  were  asked  if  they  had  knowledge  or 
information  of  any  country  where  gold  and 
silver  might  be  found  in  plenty ;  to  which  they 
answered  yes;  that  towards  the  sunset  was  a 
Province  called  Cale,  the  inhabitants  of  which 
were  at  war  with  those  of  territories  where 
the  greater  portion  of  the  year  was  summer, 
and  where  there  was  so  much  gold,  that  when 
35 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

the  people  came  to  make  war  upon  those  of 
Cale,  they  wore  golden  hats  like  casques. 

As  the  Cacique  had  not  come,  Gallegos, 
reflecting,  suspected  the  message  designed  for 
delay,  that  he  might  put  himself  in  a  condi 
tion  of  safety;  and  fearing  that,  if  those  men 
were  suffered  to  depart,  they  might  never 
return,  he  ordered  them  to  be  chained  to 
gether,  and  sent  the  news  to  camp  by  eight 
men  on  horseback.  The  Governor,  hearing 
what  had  passed,  showed  great  pleasure,  as 
did  the  rest  who  were  with  him,  believing 
what  the  Indians  said  might  be  true.  He 
left  thirty  cavalry  and  seventy  infantry  at 
the  port,  with  provisions  for  two  years,  under 
command  of  Captain  Calderon,  marching 
with  the  others  inland  to  Paracoxi;  thence, 
having  united  with  the  force  already  there, 
he  passed  through  a  small  town  named  Acela, 
and  came  to  another  called  Tocaste,  whence 
he  advanced  with  fifty  of  foot  and  thirty  horse 
towards  Cale;  and  having  gone  through  an 
ufTtenanted  town,  some  natives  were  seen  in 
a  lake,  to  whom  having  spoken  by  an  inter 
preter,  they  came  out  and  jave  him  a  guide. 
From  there  he  went  to  a  river  of  powerful 
current,  in  the  midst  of  which  was  a  tree, 
whereon  they  made  a  bridge.  Over  this  the 
people  passed  in  safety,  the  horses  being  crossed 
swimming  to  a  hawser,  by  which  they  were 
36 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

drawn  to  the  other  bank,  the  first  that  entered 
the  water  having  been  drowned  for  the  want 
of  one. 

The  Governor  sent  two  men  on  horseback, 
with  word  to  those  in  the  rear  that  they 
should  advance  rapidly,  for  that  the  way  was 
becoming  toilsome  and  the  provisions  were 
short.  He  came  to  Cale  and  found  the  town 
abandoned ;  but  he  seized  three  spies,  and 
tarried  there  until  the  people  should  arrive, 
they  travelling  hungry  and  on  bad  roads,  the 
country  being  very  thin  of  maize,  low,  very 
wet,  pondy,  and  thickly  covered  with  trees. 
Where  there  were  inhabitants,  some  water- 
cresses  could  be  found,  wrhich  they  who 
arrived  first  would  gather,  and,  cooking  them 
in  water  with  salt,  ate  them  without  other 
thing;  and  they  who  could  get  none,  would 
seize  the  stalks  of  maize  and  eat  them,  the 
ear,  being  young,  as  yet  containing  no  grain. 
Having  come  to  the  river,  which  the  Gov 
ernor  had  passed,  they  got  cabbage  from  the 
low  palmetto  growing  there,  like  that  of 
Andalusia.  There  they  were  met  by  the 
messengers,  who,  reporting  a  great  deal  of 
maize  in  Cale,  gave  much  satisfaction. 

While  the  people  should  be  coming  up, 
the  Governor  ordered  all  the  ripe  grain  in  the 
fields,  enough  for  three  months,  to  be  secured. 
In  gathering  it  three  Christians  were  slain. 

37 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

One  of  two  Indians  who  were  made  prisoners 
stated  that  seven  days'  journey  distant  was 
a  large  Province,  abounding  in  maize,  called 
Apalache.  Presently,  with  fifty  cavalry  and 
sixty  infantry,  he  set  out  from  Cale,  leaving 
Luis  de  Moscoso,  the  Field  Marshal,  in 
command,  with  directions  not  to  move  until 
he  should  be  ordered.  Up  to  that  time,  no 
one  had  been  able  to  get  servants  who  should 
make  his  bread;  and  the  method  being  to 
beat  out  the  maize  in  log  mortars  with  a  one- 
handed  pestle  of  wood,  some  also  sifting  the 
flour  afterward  through  their  shirts  of  mail, 
the  process  was  found  so  laborious,  that  many, 
rather  than  crush  the  grain,  preferred  to  eat 
it  parched  and  sodden.  The  mass  was  baked 
in  clay  dishes,  set  over  fire,  in  the  manner 
that  I  have  described  as  done  in  Cuba. 


CHAPTER    XI 

How   THE    GOVERNOR   ARRIVED   AT    CALIQUEN,   AND 

THENCE,   TAKING  THE    CACIQUE   WITH   HIM,   CAME 

TO  NAPETACA,  WHERE  THE  INDIANS,  ATTEMPT 
ING  TO  RESCUE  HIM,  HAD  MANY  OF  THEIR  NUM 
BER  KILLED  AND  CAPTURED. 

ON  the  eleventh  day  of  August,  in  the  year 
*539>  tne  Governor  left  Cale,  and  arrived  to 
sleep  at  a  small  town  called  Ytara,  and  the 
next  day  at  another  called  Potano,  and  the 

38 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

third  at  Utinama,  and  then  at  another  named 
Malapaz.  This  place  was  so  called  because 
one,  representing  himself  to  be  its  Cacique, 
came  peacefully,  saying  that  he  wished  to 
serve  the  Governor  with  his  people,  and 
asked  that  he  would  cause  the  twenty-eight 
men  and  women,  prisoners  taken  the  night 
before,  to  be  set  at  liberty;  that  provisions 
should  be  brought,  and  that  he  would  furnish 
a  guide  for  the  country  in  advance  of  us; 
whereupon,  the  Governor  having  ordered  the 
prisoners  to  be  let  loose,  and  the  Indian  put 
under  guard,  the  next  day  in  the  morning 
came  many  natives  close  to  a  scrub  surround 
ing  the  town,  near  which  the  prisoner  asked 
to  be  taken,  that  he  might  speak  and  satisfy 
them,  as  they  would  obey  in  whatever  he 
commanded ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  found  him 
self  close  to  them,  than  he  boldly  started  away, 
and  fled  so  swiftly  that  no  one  could  overtake 
him,  going  off  with  the  rest  into  the  woods. 
The  Governor  ordered  a  bloodhound,  already 
fleshed  upon  him,  to  be  let  loose,  which,  pass 
ing  by  many,  seized  upon  the  faithless  Cacique, 
and  held  him  until  the  Christians  had  come  up. 
From  this  town  the  people  went  to  sleep 
at  the  one  of  Cholupaha,  which,  for  its 
abundance  of  maize,  received  the  name  of 
Villafarta;  thence,  crossing  a  river  before  it, 
by  a  bridge  they  had  made  of  wood,  the  Chris- 
39 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

tians  marched  two  days  through  an  uninhab 
ited  country. 

On  the  seventeenth  day  of  August  they 
arrived  at  Caliquen,  where  they  heard  of  the 
Province  of  Apalache,  of  Narvaez  having 
been  there  and  embarked,  because  no  road  was 
to  be  found  over  which  to  go  forward,  and 
of  there  being  no  other  town,  and  that  water 
was  on  all  sides.  Every  mind  was  depressed 
at  this  information,  and  all  counselled  the 
Governor  to  go  back  to  the  port,  that  they 
might  not  be  lost,  as  Narvaez  had  been,  and 
to  leave  the  land  of  Florida;  that,  should 
they  go  further,  they  might  not  be  able  to  get 
back,  as  the  little  maize  that  was  yet  left  the 
Indians  would  secure:  to  which  Soto  replied, 
that  he  would  never  return  until  he  had  seen 
with  his  own  eyes  what  was  asserted,  things 
that  to  him  appeared  incredible.  Then  he 
ordered  us  to  be  in  readiness  for  the  saddle^ 
sending  word  to  Luis  de  Moscoso  to  advance 
from  Cale,  that  he  waited  for  him;  and,  as 
in  the  judgment  of  the  Field  Marshal,  and 
of  many  others,  they  should  have  to  return 
from  Apalache,  they  buried  in  Cale  some  iron 
implements  with  other  things.  They  reached 
Caliquen  through  much  suffering;  for  the 
land  over  which  the  Governor  had  marched 
lay  wasted  and  was  without  maize. 

All  the  people  having  come  up,  a  bridge  was 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

ordered  to  be  made  over  a  river  that  passed 
near  the  town,  whereon  we  crossed,  the  tenth 
day  of  September,  taking  with  us  the  Cacique. 
When  three  days  on  our  journey,  some 
Indians  arrived  to  visit  their  lord;  and  every 
day  they  came  out  to  the  road,  playing  upon 
flutes,  a  token  among  them  that  they  come  in 
peace.  They  stated  that  further  on  there  was 
a  Cacique  named  Uzachil,  kinsman  of  the 
Chief  of  Caliquen,  their  lord,  who  waited 
the  arrival  of  the  Governor,  prepared  to  do 
great  services;  and  they  besought  them  to  set 
their  Cacique  free,  which  he  feared  to  do,  lest 
they  should  go  off  without  giving  him  any 
guides;  so  he  got  rid  of  them  from  day  to 
day  with  specious  excuses. 

We  marched  five  days,  passing  through 
some  small  towns,  and  arrived  at  Napetaca  on 
the  fifteenth  day  of  September,  where  we 
found  fourteen  or  fifteen  Indians  who  begged 
for  the  release  of  the  Cacique  of  Caliquen, 
to  whom  the  Governor  declared  that  their 
lord  was  no  prisoner,  his  attendance  being 
wished  only  as  far  as  Uzachil.  Having 
learned  from  Juan  Ortiz,  to  whom  a  native 
had  made  it  known,  that  the  Indians  had  de 
termined  to  assemble  and  fall  upon  the  Chris 
tians,  for  the  recovery  of  their  Chief,  the 
Governor,  on  the  day  for  which  the  attack 
was  concerted,  commanded  his  men  to  be  in 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

readiness,  the  cavalry  to  be  armed  and  on 
horseback,  each  one  so  disposed  of  in  his  lodge 
as  not  to  be  seen  of  the  Indians,  that  they 
might  come  to  the  town  without'  reserve. 
Four  hundred  warriors,  with  bows  and  arrows, 
appeared  in  sight  of  the  camp ;  and,  going 
into  a  thicket,  they  sent  two  of  their  number 
to  demand  the  Cacique:  the  Governor,  with 
six  men  on  foot,  taking  the  Chief  by  the  hand, 
conversing  with  him  the  while  to  assure  the 
Indians,  went  towards  the  place  where  they 
were-,  when,  finding  the  moment  propitious, 
he  ordered  a  trumpet  to  be  sounded :  directly, 
they  who  were  in  the  houses,  foot  as  well  as 
horse,  set  upon  the  natives,  who,  assailed  un 
expectedly,  thought  only  of  their  safety.  Of 
two  horses  killed,  one  was  that  of  the  Gov 
ernor,  who  was  mounted  instantly  on  another. 
From  thirty  to  forty  natives  fell  by  the  lance; 
the  rest  escaped  into  two  very  large  ponds, 
situated  some  way  apart,  wherein  they  swam 
about;  and,  being  surrounded  by  the  Chris 
tians,  they  wrere  shot  at  with  crossbow  and 
arquebuse,  although  to  no  purpose,  because  of 
the  long  distance  they  were  off. 

At  night,  one  of  the  lakes  was  ordered  to 
be  guarded,  the  people  not  being  sufficient 
to  encircle  both.  The  Indians,  in  attempting 
to  escape  in  the  dark,  would  come  swimming 
noiselessly  to  the  shore,  with  a  leaf  of  water- 
43 


A    FIDALGO    OF    ELVAS 

lily  on  the  head,  that  they  might  pass  unob 
served;  when  those  mounted,  at  sight  of  any 
ruffle  on  the  surface,  would  dash  into  the 
water  up  to  the  breasts  of  the  horses,  and  the 
natives  would  again  retire.  In  such  way 
passed  the  night,  neither  party  taking  any  rest. 
Juan  Ortiz  told  them  that,  as  escape  was 
impossible,  they  would  do  well  to  give  up; 
which  they  did,  driven  by  extreme  dullness  of 
the  water;  and  one  after  another,  as  cold 
overpowered,  called  out  to  him,  asking  not 
to  be  killed — that  he  was  coming  straightway 
to  put  himself  in  the  hands  of  the  Governor. 
At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  had  all 
surrendered,  save  twelve  of  the  principal  men, 
who,  as  of  more  distinction  and  valiant  than 
the  rest,  preferred  to  die  rather  than  yield: 
then  the  Indians  of  Paracoxi,  who  were  going 
about  unshackled,  went  in  after  them,  swim 
ming,  and  pulled  them  out  by  the  hair.  They 
were  all  put  in  chains,  and,  on  the  day  fol 
lowing,  were  divided  among  the  Christians 
for  their  service. 

While  captives,  these  men  determined  to 
rebel,  and  gave  the  lead  to  an  interpreter,  one 
reputed  brave,  that  when  the  Governor  might 
come  near  to  speak  with  him,  he  should 
strangle  him ;  but  no  sooner  was  the  occasion 
presented,  and  before  his  hands  could  be 
thrown  about  the  neck  of  Soto,  his  purpose 
43 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

was  discovered,  and  he  received  so  heavy  a 
blow  from  him  in  the  nostrils,  that  they 
gushed  with  blood.  The  Indians  all  rose 
together.  He  who  could  only  catch  up  a 
pestle  from  a  mortar,  as  well  he  who  could 
grasp  a  weapon,  equally  exerted  himself  to 
kill  his  master,  or  the  first  one  he  met;  and 
he  whose  fortune  it  was  to  light  on  a  lance, 
or  a  sword,  handled  it  in  a  manner  as  though 
he  had  been  accustomed  to  use  it  all  his  days. 
One  Indian,  in  the  public  yard  of  the  town, 
with  blade  in  hand,  fought  like  a  bull  in  the 
arena,  until  the  halberdiers  of  the  Governor, 
arriving,  put  an  end  to  him.  Another  got 
up,  with  a  lance,  into  a  maize  crib,  made  of 
cane,  called  by  Indians  barbacoa,  and  defended 
the  entrance  with  the  uproar  of  ten  men, 
until  he  was  stricken  down  with  a  battle- 
axe.  They  who  were  subdued  may  have  been 
in  all  two  hundred  men:  some  of  the  young 
est  the  Governor  gave  to  those  who  had  good 
chains  and  were  vigilant;  all  the  rest  wrere 
ordered  to  execution,  and,  being  bound  to  a 
post  in  the  middle  of  the  town  yard,  they  were 
shot  to  death  with  arrows  by  the  people  of 
Paracoxi. 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

CHAPTER    XII 

-How  THE  GOVERNOR  ARRIVED  AT  PALACHE,  AND  WAS 

INFORMED  THAT  THERE  WAS  MUCH   GOLD  INLAND. 

ON  the  twenty-third  day  of  September  the 
Governor  left  Napetaca,  and  went  to  rest  at 
a  river,  where  two  Indians  brought  him  a 
deer  from  the  Cacique  of  Uzachil ;  and  the 
next  day,  having  passed  through  a  large  town 
called  Hapaluya,  he  slept  at  Uzachil.  He 
found  no  person  there;  for  the  inhabitants, 
informed  of  the  deaths  at  Napetaca,  dared 
not  remain.  In  the  town  was  found  their 
food,  much  maize,  beans,  and  pumpkins,  on 
which  the  Christians  lived.  The  maize  is 
like  coarse  millet;  the  pumpkins  are  better 
and  more  savoury  than  those  of  Spain. 

Two  captains  having  been  sent  in  opposite 
directions,  in  quest  of  Indians,  a  hundred  men 
and  women  were  taken,  one  or  two  of  whom 
wrere  chosen  out  for  the  Governor,  as  was 
always  customary  for  officers  to  do  after  suc 
cessful  inroads,  dividing  the  others  among 
themselves  and  companions.  They  were  led 
off  in  chains,  with  collars  about  the  neck,  to 
carry  luggage  and  grind  corn,  doing  the  labour 
proper  to  servants.  Sometimes  it  happened 
that,  going  with  them  for  wood  or  maize,  they 
would  kill  the  Christian,  and  flee,  with  the 
45 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

chain  on,  which  others  would  file  at  night 
with  a  splinter  of  stone,  in  the  place  of  iron, 
at  which  work,  when  caught,  they  were  pun 
ished,  as  a  warning  to  others,  and  that  they 
might  not  do  the  like.  The  women  and 
youths,  when  removed  a  hundred  leagues 
from  their  country,  no  longer  cared,  and  were 
taken  along  loose,  doing  the  work,  and  in  a 
very  little  time  learning  the  Spanish  language. 
From  Uzachil  the  Governor  went  towards 
Apalache,  and  at  the  end  of  two  days'  travel 
arrived  at  a  town  called  Axille.  After  that, 
the  Indians  having  no  knowledge  of  the 
Christians,  they  were  come  upon  unawares, 
the  greater  part  escaping,  nevertheless,  because 
there  were  woods  near  town.  The  next  day, 
the  first  of  October,  the  Governor  took  his 
departure  in  the  morning,  and  ordered  a 
bridge  to  be  made  over  a  river  which  he  had 
to  cross.  The  depth  there,  for  a  stone's  throw, 
was  over  the  head,  and  afterward  the  water 
came  to  the  waist,  for  the  distance  of  a  cross 
bow-shot,  where  was  a  growth  of  tall  and 
dense  forest,  into  which  the  Indians  came,  to 
ascertain  if  they  could  assail  the  men  at  work 
and  prevent  a  passage ;  but  they  were  dispersed 
by  the  arrival  of  crossbow-men,  and  some  tim 
bers  being  thrown  in,  the  men  gained  the 
opposite  side  and  secured  the  way.  On  the 
fourth  day  of  the  week,  Wednesday  of  St. 
46 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

Francis,  the  Governor  crossed  over  and 
reached  Uitachuco,  a  town  subject  to  Apa- 
lache,  where  he  slept.  He  found  it  burning, 
the  Indians  having  set  it  on  fire. 

Thenceforward  the  country  was  well  in 
habited,  producing  much  corn,  the  way  lead 
ing  by  many  habitations  like  villages.  Sun 
day,  the  twenty-fifth  of  October,1  he  arrived 
at  the  town  of  Uzela,  and  on  Monday  at 
Anhayca  Apalache,  where  the  lord  of  all  that 
country  and  Province  resided.  The  Camp- 
master,  wrhose  duty  it  is  to  divide  and  lodge 
the  men,  quartered  them  about  the  town,  at 
the  distance  of  half  a  league  to  a  league  apart. 
There  were  other  towns  which  had  much 
maize,  pumpkins,  beans,  and  dried  plums  of 
the  country,  whence  were  brought  together  at 
Anhayca  Apalache  what  appeared  to  be  suffi 
cient  provision  for  the  winter.  These  ameixas 
are  better  than  those  of  Spain,  and  come  from 
trees  that  grow  in  the  fields  without  being 
planted. 

Informed  that  the  sea  was  eight  leagues 
distant,  the  Governor  directly  sent  a  captain 
thither,  with  cavalry  and  infantry,  who  found 
a  town  called  Ochete,  eight  leagues  on  the 
way;  and,  coming  to  the  coast,  he  saw  where 
a  great  tree  had  been  felled,  the  trunk  split  up 

1  October   twenty-fifth,    1539,   came   on   Saturday. 
(B.) 

47 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

into  stakes,  and  with  the  limbs  made  into 
mangers.  He  found  also  the  skulls  of  horses. 
With  these  discoveries  he  returned,  and  what 
was  said  of  Narvaez  was  believed  to  be  certain, 
that  he  had  there  made  boats,  in  which  he 
left  the  country,  and  was  lost  in  them  at  sea. 
Presently  Juan  de  Aiiasco  made  ready  to  go 
to  the  port  of  Espiritu  Santo,  taking  thirty 
cavalry,  with  orders  from  the  Governor  to 
Calderon,  who  had  remained  there,  that  he 
should  abandon  the  town,  and  bring  all  the 
people  to  Apalache. 

In  Uzachil,  and  other  towns  on  the  way, 
Anasco  found  many  people  who  had  already 
become  careless ;  still,  to  avoid  detention,  no 
captures  were  made,  as  it  was  not  well  to  give 
the  Indians  sufficient  time  to  come  together. 
He  went  through  the  towns  at  night,  stopping 
at  a  distance  from  the  population  for  three 
or  four  hours,  to  rest,  and  at  the  end  of  ten 
days  arrived  at  the  port.  He  dispatched  two 
caravels  to  Cuba,  in  which  he  sent  to  Dona 
Ysabel  twenty  women  brought  by  him  from 
Ytara  and  Potano,  near  Cale;  and,  taking 
with  him  the  foot-soldiers  in  the  brigantines, 
from  point  to  point  along  the  coast  by  sea,  he 
went  towards  Palache.  Calderon  with  the 
cavalry,  and  some  crossbow-men  of  foot,  went 
by  land.  The  Indians  at  several  places  beset 
him,  and  wounded  some  of  the  men.  On  his 
48 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

arrival,  the  Governor  ordered  planks  and 
spikes  to  be  taken  to  the  coast  for  building 
a  piragua,  into  which  thirty  men  entered  well 
armed  from  the  bay,  going  to  and  coming 
from  sea,  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  brigan- 
tines,  and  sometimes  fighting  with  the  natives, 
who  went  up  and  down  the  estuary  in  canoes. 
On  Saturday,  the  twenty-ninth  of  Novem 
ber,  in  a  high  wind,  an  Indian  passed  through 
the  sentries  undiscovered,  and  set  fire  to  the 
town,  two  portions  of  which,  in  consequence, 
were  instantly  consumed. 

On  Sunday,  the  twenty-eighth  of  December, 
Juan  de  Anasco  arrived;  and  the  Governor 
directed  Francisco  Maldonado,  Captain  of 
Infantry,  to  run  the  coast  to  the  westward 
with  fifty  men,  and  look  for  an  entrance;  pro 
posing  to  go  himself  in  that  direction  by  land 
on  discoveries.  The  same  day,  eight  men  rode 
two  leagues  about  the  town  in  pursuit  of 
Indians,  who  had  become  so  bold  that  they 
would  venture  up  within  two  crossbow-shot 
of  the  camp  to  kill  our  people.  Two  were 
discovered  engaged  in  picking  beans,  and 
might  have  escaped,  but  a  woman  being  pres 
ent,  the  wife  of  one  of  them,  they  stood  to 
fight.  Before  they  could  be  killed,  three 
horses  were  wounded,  one  of  which  died  in 
a  few  days.  Calderon  going  along  the  coast 
near  by,  the  Indians  came  out  against  him 
49 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

from  a  wood,  driving  him  from  his  course, 
and  capturing  from  many  of  his  company  a 
part  of  their  indispensable  subsistence. 

Three  or  four  days  having  elapsed  beyond 
the  time  set  for  the  going  and  return  of 
Maldonado,  the  Governor  resolved  that, 
should  he  not  appear  at  the  end  of  eight  days, 
he  would  go  thence  and  wait  no  longer ;  when 
the  Captain  arrived,  bringing  with  him  an 
Indian  from  a  Province  called  Ochus,  sixty 
leagues  from  Apalache,  and  the  news  of  hav 
ing  found  a  sheltered  port  with  a  good  depth 
of  water.  The  Governor  was  highly  pleased, 
hoping  to  find  a  good  country  ahead;  and  he 
sent  Maldonado  to  Havana  for  provisions, 
with  which  to  meet  him  at  that  port  of  his 
discovery,  to  which  he  would  himself  come  by 
land ;  but  should  he  not  reach  there  that  sum-: 
mer,  then  he  directed  him  to  go  back  to 
Havana  and  return  there  the  next  season  to 
await  him,  as  he  would  make  it  his  express 
object  to  march  in  quest  of  Ochus. 

Francisco  Maldonado  went,  and  Juan  de 
Guzman  remained  instead,  Captain  of  his  in 
fantry.  Of  the  Indians  taken  in  Napetuca, 
the  treasurer,  Juan  Gaytan,  brought  a  youth 
with  him,  who  stated  that  he  did  not  belong 
to  that  country,  but  to  one  afar  in  the  direction 
of  the  sun's  rising,  from  which  he  had  been 
a  long  time  absent  visiting  other  lands;  that 
50 


A   FIDALGO   OF.  ELVAS 

its  name  was  Yupaha,  and  was  governed  by 
a  woman,  the  town  she  lived  in  being  of 
astonishing  size,  and  many  neighbouring  lords 
her  tributaries,  some  of  whom  gave  her  cloth 
ing,  others  gold  in  quantity.  He  showed  how 
the  metal  was  taken  from  the  earth,  melted, 
and  refined,  exactly  as  though  he  had  seen  it 
all  done,  or  else  the  Devil  had  taught  him 
how  it  was;  so  that  they  who  knew  aught 
of  such  matters  declared  it  impossible  that  he 
could  give  that  account  without  having  been 
an  eye-witness ;  and  they  who  beheld  the  signs 
he  made  credited  all  that  was  understood  as 
certain. 

CHAPTER    XIII 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  WENT  FROM  APALACHE  IN  QUEST 
OF  YUPAHA,  AND  WHAT  BEFELL  HIM. 

ON  Wednesday,  the  third  of  March,  in  the 
year  1540,  the  Governor  left  Anhayca  Apa- 
lache  to  seek  Yupaha.  He  had  ordered  his 
men  to  go  provided  with  maize  for  a  march 
through  sixty  leagues  of  desert.  The  cav 
alry  carried  their  grain  on  the  horses,  and  the 
infantry  theirs  on  the  back;  because  the  In 
dians  they  brought  with  them  for  service, 
being  naked  and  in  chains,  had  perished  in 
great  part  during  the  winter.  On  the  fourth 
day  of  the  journey  they  arrived  at  a  deep 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

river,  where  a  piragua  was  made;  and,  in 
consequence  of  the  violence  of  the  current,  a 
cable  of  chains  was  extended  from  shore  to 
shore,  along  which  the  boat  passed,  and  the 
horses  were  drawn  over,  swimming  thereto, 
by. means  of  a  windlass  to  the  other  side. 

A  day  and  a  half  afterwards,  they  arrived 
at  a  town  by  the  name  of  Capachiqui,  and  on 
Friday,1  the  eleventh,  the  inhabitants  were 
found  to  have  gone  off.  The  following  day, 
five  Christians,  going  in  the  rear  of  the  camp 
to  search  for  mortars,  in  which  the  natives 
beat  maize,  went  to  some  houses  surrounded 
by  a  thicket,  where  many  Indians  lurked  as 
spies,  an  equal  number  of  whom,  separating 
from  the  rest,  set  upon  our  men,  one  of  whom 
fled  back,  crying  out  to  arms.  When  they 
who  could  first  answer  to  the  call  reached  the 
spot,  they  found  one  of  the  Christians  killed, 
and  the  three  others  badly  wounded,  the 
Indians  fleeing  into  a  sheet  of  water,  full 
of  woods,  into  which  the  horses  could  not 
go.  The  Governor  left  Capachiqui,  passing 
through  a  desert;  and  on  Wednesday,  the 
twenty-first  2  of  the  month,  came  to  Toalli. 

1The  eleventh  was  Thursday,  and  it  was  on 
Thursday  that  they  arrived  at  Capachiqui.  Cf. 
Ranjel,  Vol.  II.  p.  83.  (B.) 

2  Wednesday  was  the  twenty- fourth.    The  twenty- 
third  was  the  day  they  arrived  at  Toalli,   accord 
ing  to  Ranjel.     See  Vol.  II.  p.  85.     (B.) 
52 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

The  houses  of  this  town  were  different  from 
those  behind,  which  were  covered  with  dry 
grass;  thenceforward  they  were  roofed  with 
cane,  after  the  fashion  of  tile.  They  are 
kept  very  clean:  some  have  their  sides  so 
made  of  clay  as  to  look  like  tapia.  Through 
out  the  cold  country  every  Indian  has  a  winter 
house,  plastered  inside  and  out,  with  a  very 
small  door,  which  is  closed  at  dark,  and  a 
fire  being  made  within,  it  remains  heated  like 
an  oven,  so  that  clothing  is  not  needed  during 
the  night-time.  He  has  likewise  a  house  for 
summer,  and  near  it  a  kitchen,  where  fire  is 
made  and  bread  baked.  Maize  is  kept  in 
barbacoa,  which  is  a  house  with  wooden  sides, 
like  a  room,  raised  aloft  on  four  posts,  and 
has  a  floor  of  cane.  The  difference  between 
the  houses  of  the  masters,  or  principal  men, 
and  those  of  the  common  people  is,  besides 
being  larger  than  the  others,  they  have  deep 
balconies  on  the  front  side,  with  cane  seats, 
like  benches;  and  about  are  many  barbacoas, 
in  which  they  bring  together  the  tribute  their 
people  give  them  of  maize,  skins  of  deer,  and 
blankets  of  the  country.  These  are  like 
shawls,  some  of  them  made  from  the  inner 
bark  of  trees,  and  others  of  a  grass  resembling 
nettle,  which,  by  treading  out,  becomes  like 
flax.  The  women  use  them  for  covering, 
wearing  one  about  the  body  from  the  waist 
53 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

downward,  and  another  over  the  shoulder, 
with  the  right  arm  left  free,  after  the  manner 
of  the  Gypsies:  the  men  wear  but  one,  which 
they  carry  over  the  shoulder  in  the  same  way, 
the  loins  being  covered  with  a  bragueiro  of 
deer-skin,  after  the  fashion  of  the  woollen 
breech-cloth  that  was  once  the  custom  of 
Spain.  The  skins  are  well  dressed,  the  colour 
being  given  to  them  that  is  wished,  and  in 
such  perfection,  that,  when  of  vermilion,  they 
look  like  very  fine  red  broadcloth;  and  when 
black,  the  sort  in  use  for  shoes,  they  are  of  the 
purest.  The  same  hues  are  given  to  blankets. 
The  Governor  left  Toalli  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  day  of  March,  and  arrived  on  Thurs 
day,-  in  the  evening,  at  a  little  stream  where  a 
small  bridge  was  made,  and  the  people  passed 
to  the  opposite  side.  Benito  Fernandes,  a 
Portugues,  fell  off  from  it,  and  was  drowned. 
So  soon  as  the  Governor  had  crossed,  he  found 
a  town,  a  short  way  on,  by  the  name  of  Achese, 
the  people  of  which,  having  had  no  knowledge 
of  the  Christians,  plunged  into  a  river;  never 
theless,  some  men  and  women  were  taken, 
among  whom  was  found  one  who  understood 
the  youth,  the  guide  to  Yupaha,  w7hich  rather 
confirmed  what  he  stated,  as  they  had  come 
through  regions  speaking  different  languages, 
some  of  which  he  did  not  understand.  By 
one  of  the  Indians  taken  there,  the  Governor 

54 


A    FIDALGO    OF    ELVAS 

sent  to  call  the  Cacique  from  the  farther  side 
of  the  river,  who,  having  come  to  him,  thus 
spoke : 

VERY  HIGH,  POWERFUL,  AND  GOOD  MASTER: 

The  things  that  seldom  happen  bring  astonish 
ment  Think,  then,  what  must  be  the  effect  on  me 
and  mine,  the  sight  of  you  and  your  people,  whom 
we  have  at  no  time  seen,  astride  the  fierce  brutes, 
your  horses,  entering  with  such  speed  and  fury  into 
my  country,  that  we  had  no  tidings  of  your  coming 
— things  so  altogether  new,  as  to  strike  awe  and 
terror  to  our  hearts,  which  it  was  not  nature  to 
resist,  so  that  we  should  receive  you  with  the  sobriety 
due  to  so  kingly  and  famous  a  lord.  Trusting  to 
your  greatness  and  personal  qualities,  I  hope  no 
fault  will  be  found  in  me,  and  that  I  shall  rather 
receive  favours,  of  which  one  is  that  with  my  person, 
my  country,  and  my  vassals,  you  will  do  as  with 
your  own  things;  and  another,  that  you  tell  me 
who  you  are,  whence  you  come,  whither  you  go,  and 
what  it  is  you  seek,  that  I  may  the  better  serve  you. 

The  Governor  responded,  that  he  greatly 
thanked  him  for  his  good-will,  as  much  so  as 
though  he  had  given  him  a  great  treasure. 
He  told  him  that  he  was  the  child  of  the  Sun, 
coming  from  its  abode,  and  that  he  was  going 
about  the  country,  seeking  for  the  greatest 
prince  there,  and  the  richest  province.  The 
Cacique  stated  that  farther  on  was  a  great 
lord,  whose  territory  was  called  Ocute.  He 
gave  him  a  guide,  who  understood  the  lan- 
55 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

guage,  to  conduct  him  thither;  and  the  Gov 
ernor  commanded  his  subjects  to  be  released. 
A  high  cross,  made  of  wood,  was  set  up  in  the 
middle  of  the  town-yard ;  and,  as  time  did  not 
allow  more  to  be  done,  the  Indians  were  in 
structed  that  it  was  put  there  to  commemorate 
the  suffering  of  Christ,  who  was  God  and 
man;  that  he  had  created  the  skies  and  the 
earth,  and  had  suffered  for  the  salvation  of 
all,  and  therefore  that  they  should  revere  that 
sign;  and  they  showed  by  their  manner  that 
they  would  do  so. 

The  Governor  set  out  on  the  first  day  of 
April,  and  advanced  through  the  country  of 
the  Chief,  along  up  a  river,  the  shores  of 
which  were  very  populous.  On  the  fourth 
he  went  through  the  town  of  Altamaca,  and 
on  the  tenth  arrived  at  Ocute.  The  Cacique 
sent  him  a  present,  by  two  thousand  Indians, 
of  many  conies  and  partridges,  maize  bread, 
many  dogs,  and  two  turkeys.  On  account  of 
the  scarcity  of  meat,  the  dogs  were  as  much 
esteemed  by  the  Christians  as  though  they 
had  been  fat  sheep.  There  was  such  want  of 
salt  also,  that  oftentimes,  in  many  places,  a 
sick  man  having  nothing  for  his  nourishment, 
and  was  wasting  away  to  bone,  of  some  ail 
that  elsewhere  might  have  found  a  remedy, 
when  sinking  under  pure  debility  he  would 
say;  "  Now,  if  I  had  but  a.  slice  of  meat, 
56 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

or  only  a  few  lumps  of  salt,  I  should  not  thus 
die." 

The  Indians  never  lacked  meat.  With 
arrows  they  get  abundance  of  deer,  turkeys, 
conies,  and  other  wild  animals,  being  very 
skilful  in  killing  game,  which  the  Christians 
were  not;  and  even  if  they  had  been,  there 
was  not  the  opportunity  for  it,  they  being  on 
the  march  the  greater  part  of  their  time;  nor 
did  they,  besides,  ever  dare  to  straggle  off. 
Such  was  the  craving  for  meat,  that  when  the 
six  hundred  men  who  followed  Soto  arrived 
at  a  town,  and  found  there  twenty  or  thirty 
dogs,  he  who  could  get  sight  of  one  and  kill 
him,  thought  he  had  done  no  little;  and  he 
who  proved  himself  so  active,  if  his  Captain 
knew  of  it,  and  he  forgot  to  send  him  a  quar 
ter,  would  show  his  displeasure,  and  make 
him  feel  it  in  the  watches,  or  in  any  matter 
of  labour  that  came  along,  with  which  he 
could  bear  upon  him. 

On  Monday,  the  twelfth  of  April,  the  Gov 
ernor  took  his  departure,  the  Cacique  of 
Ocute  giving  him  four  hundred  tamemes,  the 
Indians  that  carry  burdens.  He  passed 
through  a  town,  the  lord  of  which  was  called 
Cofaqui,  and  came  to  the  province  of  another, 
named  Patofa,  who,  being  at  peace  with  the 
Chief  of  Ocute  and  other  neighbouring  lords, 
had  heard  of  the  Governor  for  a  long  time, 

57 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

and  desired  to  see  him.     He  went  to  call  on 
him,  and  made  this  speech: 

POWERFUL  LORD: 

Not  without  reason,  now,  will  I  ask  that  some 
light  mishap  befall  me,  in  return  for  so  great  good 
fortune,  and  deem  my  lot  a  happy  one ;  since  I  have 
come  to  what  I  most  wished  in  life,  to  behold  and 
have  the  opportunity  in  some  way  to  serve  you. 
Thus  the  tongue  casts  the  shadow  of  the  thought; 
but  I,  nevertheless,  am  as  unable  to  produce  the  per 
fect  image  of  my  feelings  as  to  control  the  appear 
ances  of  my  contentment.  By  what  circumstance  has 
this  your  land,  which  I  govern,  deserved  to  be  seen 
by  one  so  superior  and  excellent  that  all  on  earth 
should  obey  and  serve  as  prince.  And  those  who 
here  inhabit  being  so  insignificant,  how  can  they 
forget,  in  receiving  this  vast  enjoyment,  that,  in  the 
order  of  things,  will  follow  upon  it  some  great 
adversity?  If  we  are  held  worthy  of  being  yours, 
we  can  never  be  other  than  favoured,  nor  less  than 
protected  in  whatsoever  is  reasonable  and  just;  for 
they  that  fail  of  deserving  either,  with  the  name  of 
men  can  only  be  considered  brutes.  From  the  depth 
of  my  heart,  and  with  the  respect  due  to  such  a 
chief,  I  make  mine  offer;  and  pray  that,  in  return 
for  so  sincere  good-will,  you  dispose  of  me,  my 
country,  and  my  vassals. 

The  Governor  answered  that  his  offers  and 
good-will,  shown  in  works,  would  greatly 
please  him,  and  which  he  should  ever  bear  in 
memory  to  honour  and  favour  him  as  he  would 
a  brother.  From  this  Province  of  Patofa, 
58 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

back  to  the  first  Cacique  we  found  at  peace, 
a  distance  of  fifty  leagues,  the  country  is 
abundant,  picturesque,  and  luxuriant,  well 
watered,  and  having  good  river  margins; 
thence  to  the  harbour  of  Espiritu  Santo,  where 
we  first  arrived,  the  land  of  Florida,  which 
may  be  three  hundred  leagues  in  length,  a 
little  more  or  less,  is  light,  the  greater  part 
of  it  of  pine-trees,  and  low,  having  many 
ponds;  and  in  places  are  high  and  dense  for 
est,  into  wThich  the  Indians  that  were  hostile 
betook  themselves,  where  they  could  not  be 
found ;  nor  could  horses  enter  there,  which, 
to  the  Christians,  was  the  loss  of  the  food  they 
carried  away,  and  made  it  troublesome  to  get 
guides. 

CHAPTER    XIIII 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  LEFT  THE  PROVINCE  OF  PATOFA, 

MARCHING   INTO   A    DESERT    COUNTRY,   WHERE   HE, 

WITH   HIS  PEOPLE,   BECAME   EXPOSED   TO   GREAT 
PERIL  AND  UNDERWENT  SEVERE  PRIVATION. 

IN  the  town  of  Patofa,  the  youth,  whom 
the  Governor  brought  with  him  for  guide  and 
interpreter,  began  to  froth  at  the  mouth,  and 
threw  himself  on  the  ground  as  if  he  were 
possessed  of  the  Devil.  An  exorcism  being 
said  over  him,  the  fit  went  off.  He  stated 
that  four  days'  journey  from  there,  towards 
59 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

the  sunrise,  was  the  Province  he  spoke  of:  the 
Indians  at  Patofa  said  that  they  knew  of  no 
dwellings  in  that  direction,  but  that  towards 
the  northwest  there  was  a  province  called 
Coga,  a  plentiful  country  having  very  large 
towns.  The  Cacique  told  the  Governor  that 
if  he  desired  to  go  thither  he  would  give  him 
a  guide  and  Indians  to  carry  burdens,  and  if 
he  would  go  in  the  direction  pointed  out  by 
the  youth,  he  would  furnish  him  with  every 
thing  necessary  for  that  also. 

With  words  of  love,  and  tendering  each 
other  services,  they  parted,  the  Governor 
receiving  seven  hundred  tamemes.  He  took 
maize  for  the  consumption  of  four  days,  and 
marched  by  a  road  that,  gradually  becoming 
less,  on  the  sixth  day  it  disappeared.  Led  by 
the  youth,  they  forded  two  rivers,  each  the 
breadth  of  two  shots  of  a  crossbow,  the  water 
rising  to  the  stirrups  of  the  saddles,  and  pass 
ing  in  a  current  so  powerful,  that  it  became 
necessary  for  those  on  horseback  to  stand  one 
before  another,  that  they  on  foot,  walk 
ing  near,  might  cross  along  above  them: 
then  came  to  another  of  a  more  violent 
current,  and  larger,  which  was  got  over 
with  more  difficulty,  the  horses  swim 
ming  for  a  lance's  length  at  the  coming 
out,  into  a  pine-grove.  The  Governor  men 
aced  the  youth,  motioning  that  he  would 
60 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

throw  him  to  the  dogs  for  having  lied  to  him 
in  saying  that  it  was  four  days'  journey, 
whereas  they  had  travelled  nine,  each  day  of 
seven  or  eight  leagues;  and  that  the  men  and 
horses  had  become  very  thin,  because  of  the 
sharp  economy  practised  with  the  maize.  The 
youth  declared  that  he  knew  not  where  he 
was.  Fortunately  for  him,  at  the  time,  there 
was  not  another  whom  Juan  Ortez  under 
stood,  or  he  would  have  been  cast  to  the 
dogs. 

The  Governor,  leaving  the  camp  among 
the  pine-trees,  marched  that  day,  with  some 
cavalry  and  infantry,  five  or  six  leagues,  look 
ing  for  a  path,  and  came  back  at  night  very 
cast  down,  not  having  found  any  sign  of  in 
habitants.  The  next  day  there  was  a  variety 
of  opinion  about  the  course  proper  to  take, 
whether  to  return  or  do  otherwise.  The 
country  through  which  they  had  come  re 
mained  wasted  and  without  maize;  the  grain 
they  had  so  far  brought  with  them  was  spent ; 
the  beasts,  like  the  men,  were  become  very 
lean;  and  it  was  held  very  doubtful  whether 
relief  was  anywhere  to  be  found:  moreover, 
it  was  the  opinion  that  they  might  be  beaten 
by  any  Indians  whatsoever  who  should  ven 
ture  to  attack  them,  so  that  continuing  thus, 
whether  by  hunger  or  in  strife,  they  must 
inevitably  be  overcome.  The  Governor  de- 

61 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

termined  to  send  thence  in  all  directions  on 
horseback,  in  quest  of  habitations;  and  the 
next  day  he  dispatched  four  captains  to  as 
many  points,  with  eight  of  cavalry  to  each. 
They  came  back  at  night  leading  their  beasts 
by  the  bridle,  unable  to  carry  their  masters, 
or  driven  before  them  with  sticks,  having 
found  no  road,  nor  any  sign  of  a  settlement. 
He  sent  other  four  again  the  next  day,  with 
eight  of  cavalry  apiece,  men  who  could  swim, 
that  they  might  cross  any  ponds  and  rivers 
in  the  way,  the  horses  being  chosen  of  the  best 
that  were;  Baltasar  de  Gallegos  ascending  by 
the  river,  Juan  de  Anasco  going  down  it, 
Alfonso  Romo  and  Juan  Rodriguez  Lobillo 
striking  into  the  country. 

The  Governor  had  brought  thirteen  sows  to 
Florida,  which  had  increased  to  three  hundred 
swine;  and  the  maize  having  failed  for  three 
or  four  days,  he  ordered  to  be  killed  daily, 
for  each  man,  half  a  pound  of  pork,  on  which 
small  allowance,  and  some  boiled  herbs,  the 
people  with  much  difficulty  lived.  There 
being  no  food  to  give  to  the  Indians  of  Patofa, 
they  were  dismissed,  though  they  still  wished 
to  keep  with  the  Christians  in  their  extremity, 
and  showed  great  regret  at  going  back  before 
leaving  them  in  a  peopled  country.  Juan  de 
Anasco  came  in  on  Sunday,  in  the  afternoon, 
bringing  with  him  a  woman  and  a  youth  he 
62 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

had  taken,  with  the  report  that  he  had  found 
a  small  town  twelve  or  thirteen  leagues  off; 
at  which  the  Governor  and  his  people  wrere 
as  much  delighted  as  though  they  had  been 
raised  from  death  to  live. 

On  Monday,  the  twenty-sixth  of  April, 
the  Governor  set  out  for  Aymay,  a  town  to 
which  the  Christians  gave  the  name  of  Socorro. 
At  the  foot  of  a  tree,  in  the  camp,  they  buried 
a  paper,  and  in  the  bark,  with  a  hatchet,  they 
cut  these  words :  "  Dig  here ;  at  the  root  of 
this  pine  you  will  find  a  letter;"  and  this 
was  so  fixed  that  the  Captains,  wrho  had  gone 
in  quest  of  an  inhabited  country,  should  learn 
what  the  Governor  had  done  and  the  direction 
he  had  taken.  There  was  no  other  road  than 
the  one  Juan  de  Anasco  had  made  moving 
along  through  the  woods. 

On  Monday  the  Governor  arrived  at  the 
town,  writh  those  the  best  mounted,  all  riding 
the  hardest  possible;  some  sleeping  two 
leagues  off,  others  three  and  four,  each  as  he 
was  able  to  travel  and  his  strength  held  out. 
A  barbacoa  was  found  full  of  parched  meal 
and  some  maize,  which  were  distributed  by 
allowance.  Four  Indians  were  taken,  not  one 
of  whom  would  say  any  thing  else  than  that 
he  knew  of  no  other  town.  The  Governor 
ordered  one  of  them  to  be  burned ;  and  there 
upon  another  said,  that  two  days'  journey 

63 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

from    there    was    a    province    called    Cutifa- 
chiqui. 

On  Wednesday  the  three  Captains  came 
up:  they  had  found  the  letter  and  followed 
on  after  the  rest.  From  the  command  of 
Juan  Rodriguez  two  men  remained  behind, 
their  horses  having  given  out,  for  which  the 
Governor  reprimanded  him  severely,  and  sent 
him  to  bring  them.  While  they  should  be 
coming  on  he  set  out  for  Cutifachiqui,  cap 
turing  three  Indians  in  the  road,  who  stated 
that  the  mistress  of  that  country  had  already 
information  of  the  Christians,  and  was  wait 
ing  for  them  in  a  town.  He  sent  to  her  by 
one  of  them,  offering  his  friendship  and  an 
nouncing  his  approach.  Directly  as  the  Gov 
ernor  arrived,  four  canoes  came  towards  him, 
in  one  of  which  was  a  kinswoman  of  the 
Cacica,  who,  coming  near,  addressed  him  in 
these  words: 

EXCELLENT  LORD: 

My  sister  sends  me  to  salute  you,  and  to  say,  that 
the  reason  why  she  has  not  come  in  person  is,  that 
she  has  thought  to  serve  you  better  by  remaining  to 
give  orders  on  the  other  shore ;  and  that,  in  a  short 
time,  her  canoes  will  all  be  here,  in  readiness  to 
conduct  you  thither,  where  you  may  take  your  repose 
and  be  obeyed. 

The   Governor   thanked   her,   and   she   re 
turned  to  cross  the  river.     After  a  little  time 
64 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

the  Cacica  came  out  of  the  town,  seated  in  a 
chair,  which  some  principal  men  having  borne" 
to  the  bank,  she  entered  a  canoe.  Over  the 
stern  was  spread  an.  awning,  and  in  the  bot 
tom  lay  extended  a  mat  where  were  two  cush 
ions,  one  above  the  other,  upon  which  she  sate ; 
and  she  was  accompanied  by  her  chief  men,  in 
other  canoes,  with  Indians.  She  approached 
the  spot  where  the  Governor  was,  and,  being 
arrived,  thus  addressed  him: 

EXCELLENT  LORD: 

Be  this  coming  to  these  your  shores  most  happy. 
My  ability  can  in  no  way  equal  my  wishes,  nor  my 
services  become  the  merits  of  so  great  a  prince ; 
nevertheless,  good  wishes  are  to  be  valued  more 
than  all  the  treasures  of  the  earth  without  them. 
With  sincerest  and  purest  good-will  I  tender  you 
my  person,  my  lands,  my  people,  and  make  you  these 
small  gifts. 

The  Cacica  presented  much  clothing  of  the 
country,  from  the  shawls  and  skins  that  came 
in  the  other  boats;  and  drawing  from  over 
her  head  a  large  string  of  pearls,  she  threw 
them  about  his  neck,  exchanging  with  him 
many  gracious  words  of  friendship  and  cour 
tesy.  She  directed  that  canoes  should  come 
to  the  spot,  whence  the  Governor  and  his 
people  passed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
So  soon  as  he  was  lodged  in  the  town,  a  great 
many  turkeys  were  sent  to  him.  The  coun- 
6s 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

try  was  delightful  and  fertile,  having  good 
interval  lands  upon  the  streams;  the  forest 
was  open,  with  abundance  of  walnut  and 
mulberry  trees.  The  sea  was  stated  to  be 
two  days'  travel.  About  the  place,  from  half 
a  league  to  a  league  off,  were  large  vacant 
towns,  grown  up  in  grass,  that  appeared  as  if 
no  people  had  lived  in  them  for  a  long  time. 
The  Indians  said  that,  two  years  before,  there 
had  been  a  pest  in  the  land,  and  the  inhabitants 
had  moved  away  to  other  towns.  In  the 
^barbacoas  were  large  quantities  of  clothing, 
shawls  of  thread,  made  from  the  bark  of 
trees,  and  others  of  feathers,  white,  gray,  ver 
milion,  and  yellow,  rich  and  proper  for  winter. 
There  were  also  many  well-dressed  deer-skins, 
of  colours  drawn  over  with  designs,  of  which 
had  been  made  shoes,  stockings,  and  hose. 
The  Cacica,  observing  that  the  Christians 
valued  pearls,  told  the  Governor  that,  if  he 
should  order  some  sepulchres  that  were  in 
the  town  to  be  searched,  he  would  find  many; 
and  if  he  chose  to  send  to  those  that  were  in 
the  uninhabited  towns,  he  might  load  all  his 
horses  with  them.  They  examined  those  in 
the  town,  and  found  three  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds'  weight  of  pearls,  and  figures  of  babies 
and  birds  made  of  them. 

The   inhabitants   are   brown   of   skin,   well 
formed    and    proportioned.     They    are    more 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

civilized  than  any  people  seen  in  all  the  terri 
tories  of  Florida,  wearing  clothes  and  shoes. 
This  country,  according  to  what  the  Indians 
stated,  had  been  very  populous.  It  appeared 
that  the  youth  who  was  the  guide  had  heard 
of  it;  and  what  was  told  him  he  declared  to 
have  seen,  and  magnified  such  parts  as  he 
chose,  to  suit  his  pleasure.  He  told  the  Gov 
ernor  that  they  had  begun  to  enter  upon  the 
country  he  had  spoken  to  him  about,  which, 
because  of  its  appearance,  with  his  being  able 
to  understand  the  language  of  the  people, 
gained  for  him  some  credit.  He  wished  to 
become  a  Christian,  and  asked  to  be  baptized, 
which  was  done,  he  receiving  the  name  of 
Pedro;  and  the  Governor  commanded  the 
chain  to  be  struck  off  that  he  had  carried 
until  then. 

In  the  town  were  found  a  dirk  and  beads 
that  had  belonged  to  Christians,  who,  the 
Indians  said,  had  many  years  before  been  in 
the  port,  distant  two  days'  journey.  He  that 
had  been  there  was  the  Governor-licentiate 
Ayllon,  who  came  to  conquer  the  land,  and, 
on  arriving  at  the  port,  died,  when  there 
followed  divisions  and  murders  among  the 
chief  personages,  in  quarrels  as  to  who  should 
command;  and  thence,  without  knowing  any 
thing  of  the  country,  they  went  back  to 
Spain. 

67 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

To  all  it  appeared  well  to  make  a  settlement 
there,  the  point  being  a  favourable  one,  to 
which  could  come  all  the  ships  from  New 
Spain,  Peru,  Sancta  Marta,  and  Tierra-Firme, 
going  to  Spain;  because  it  is  in  the  way 
thither,  is  a  good  country,  and  one  fit  in  which 
to  raise  supplies;  but  Soto,  as  it  was  his  object 
to  find  another  treasure  like  that  of  Atabalipa, 
lord  of  Peru,  would  not  be  content  with  good 
lands  nor  pearls,  even  though  many  of  them 
were  worth  their  weight  in  gold,  (and  if  the 
country  were  divided  among  Christians,  more 
precious  should  those  be  the  Indians  would 
procure  than  these  they  have,  being  bored  with 
heat,  which  causes  them  to  lose  their  hue)  : 
so  he  answered  them  who  urged  him  to  make 
a  settlement,  that  in  all  the  country  together 
there  was  not  support  for  his  troops  a  single 
month;  that  it  was  necessary  to  return  to 
Ochus,  where  Maldonado  was  to  wait;  and 
should  a  richer  country  not  be  found,  they 
could  always  return  to  that  who  would,  and 
in  their  absence  the  Indians  would  plant  their 
fields  and  be  better  provided  with  maize. 
The  natives  were  asked  if  they  had  knowledge 
of  any  great  lord  farther  on,  to  which  they 
answered,  that  twelve  days'  travel  thence  was 
a  province  called  Chiaha,  subject  to  a  chief 
of  Coga. 

The  Governor  then  resolved  at  once  to  go 
68 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

in  quest  of  that  country,  and  being  an  in 
flexible  man,  and  dry  of  word,  who,  although 
he  liked  to  know  what  the  others  all  thought 
and  had  to  say,  after  he  once  said  a  thing  he 
did  not  like  to  be  opposed,  and  as  he  ever  acted 
as  he  thought  best,  all  bent  to  his  will;  for 
though  it  seemed  an  error  to  leave  that  coun 
try,  when  another  might  have  been  found 
about  it,  on  which  all  the  people  could  have 
been  sustained  until  the  crops  had  been  made 
and  the  grain  gathered,  there  were  none  who 
would  say  a  thing  to  him  after  it  became 
known  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind. 

CHAPTER    XV 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  WENT  FROM  CUTIFACHIQUI  IN 
QUEST  OF  COCA,  AND  WHAT  OCCURRED  TO  HIM 
ON  THE  JOURNEY. 

ON  the  third  day  of  May1  the  Governor 
set  out  from  Cutifachiqui ;  and,  it  being  dis 
covered  that  the  wish  of  the  Cacica  was  to 
leave  the  Christians,  if  she  could,  giving  them 
neither  guides  nor  tamemes,  because  of  the  out 
rages  committed  upon  the  inhabitants,  there 
never  failing  to  be  men  of  low  degree  among 
the  many,  who  will  put  the  lives  of  themselves 
and  others  in  jeopardy  for  some  mean  inter- 

1  The   date    apparently   should  be   the  thirteenth. 
Cf.  Ranjel,  Vol.  II.  p.  102.     (B.) 
69 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

est,  the  Governor  ordered  that  she  should  be 
placed  under  guard  and  took  her  with  him. 
This  treatment,  whfch  was  not  a  proper  return 
for  the  hospitable  welcome  he  had  received, 
makes  true  the  adage,  For  well  doing  .  .  . ; 
and  thus  she  was  carried  away  on  foot  with 
her  female  slaves. 

This  brought  us  service  in  all  the  places 
that  were  .passed,  she  ordering  the  Indians  to 
come  and  take  the  loads  from  town  to  town. 
We  travelled  through  her  territories  a  hun 
dred  leagues,  in  which,  according  to  what 
we  saw,  she  was  greatly  obeyed,  whatsoever 
she  ordered  being  performed  with  diligence 
and  efficacy.  Pedro,  the  guide,  said  she  was 
not  the  suzeraine,  but  her  niece,  who  had  come 
to  that  town  by  her  command  to  punish  capi 
tally  some  principal  Indians  who  had  seized^ 
upon  the  tribute;  but  to  this  no  credit  was 
given,  because  of  the  falsehoods  in  which  he 
had  been  taken,  though  all  was  put  up  with, 
from  the  necessity  of  having  some  one  whereby 
to  understand  what  the  Indians  said. 

In  seven  days  the  Governor  arrived  at  the 
Province  of  Chelaque,  the  country  poorest  off 
for  maize  of  any  that  was  seen  in  Florida, 
where  the  inhabitants  subsisted  on  the  roots 
of  plants  that  they  dig  in  the  wilds,  and  on 
the  animals  they  destroy  writh  their  arrows. 
They  are  very  domestic  people,  are  slight  of 
70 


A    FIDALGO    OF    ELVAS 

form,  and  go  naked.  One  lord  brought  the 
Governor  two  deer-skins  as  a  great  gift. 
Turkeys  were  abundant;  in  one  town  they 
presented  seven  hundred,  and  in  others  brought 
him  what  they  had  and  could  procure.  He 
was  detained  in  going  from  this  province  to 
that  of  Xualla  five  days,  where  they  found 
little  grain,  but  remained  two  days,  because 
of  the  weariness  of  the  men  and  the  leanness 
of  the  horses. 

From  Ocute  to  Cutifachiqui  are  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty  leagues,  of  which  eighty  are 
desert;  from  Cutifa  to  Xualla  are  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  of  mountainous  country ;  thence 
to  Guaxule,  the  way  is  over  very  rough  and 
lofty  ridges. 

One  day  while  on  this  journey,  the  Cacica 
of  Cutifachi,  whom  the  Governor  brought 
with  him,  as  has  been  stated,  to  the  end  of 
taking  her  to  Guaxule,  the  farthest  limit  of 
her  territories,  conducted  by  her  slaves,  she 
left  the  road,  with  an  excuse  of  going  into  a 
thicket,  where,  deceiving  them,  she  so  con 
cealed  herself  that  for  all  their  search  she 
could  not  be  found.  She  took  with  her  a  cane 
box,  like  a  trunk,  called  petaca,  full  of  un- 
bored  pearls,  of  which,  those  who  had  the  most 
knowledge  of  their  value  said  they  were  very 
precious.  They  were  carried  for  her  by  one 
of  the  women;  and  the  Governor,  not  to  give 

7' 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

offence,  permitted  it  so,  thinking  that  in 
Guaxule  he  would  beg  them  of  her  when  he 
should  give  her  leave  to  depart;  but  she  took 
them  with  her,  going  to  Xualla,  with  three 
slaves  who  had  fled  from  the  camp.  A  horse 
man,  named  Alimamos,  who  remained  behind, 
sick  of  a  fever,  wandering  out  of  the  way, 
got  lost;  and  he  laboured  with  the  slaves  to 
make  them  leave  their  evil  design.  Two  of 
them  did  so,  and  came  on  with  him  to  the 
camp.  They  overtook  the  Governor,  after  a 
journey  of  fifty  leagues,  in  a  province  called 
Chiaha;  and  he  reported  that  the  Cacica  re 
mained  in  Xualla,  with  a  slave  of  Andre 
de  Vasconcelos,  who  would  not  come  with 
him,  and  that  it  was  very  sure  they  lived 
together  as  man  and  wife,  and  were  to  go 
together  to  Cutifachiqui. 

At  the  end  of  five  days  the  Governor  ar 
rived  at  Guaxule.  The  Christians  being  seen 
to  go  after  dogs,  for  their  flesh,  which  the 
Indians  do  not  eat,  they  gave  them  three  hun 
dred  of  those  animals.  Little  maize  was  found 
there,  or  anywhere  upon  that  route.  The  Gov 
ernor  sent  a  native  with  a  message  to  the 
Cacique  of  Chiaha,  begging  that  he  would 
order  some  maize  to  be  brought  together  at 
his  town,  that  he  might  sojourn  there  some 
time.  He  left  Guaxule,  and  after  two  days' 
travel  arrived  at  Canasagua,  where  twenty 
73 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

men  came  out  from  the  town  on  the  road,  each 
laden  with  a  basket  of  mulberries.  This  fruit 
is  abundant  and  good,  from  Cutifachique  to 
this  place,  and  thence  onward  in  other  prov 
inces,  as  are  the  walnut  and  the  amiexa;  the 
trees  growing  about  over  the  country,  without 
planting  or  pruning,  of  the  size  and  luxuriance 
they  would  have  were  they  cultivated  in 
orchards,  by  hoeing  and  irrigation.  Leaving 
Canasagua,  he  marched  five  days  through  a 
desert. 

Two  leagues  before  coming  to  Chiaha, 
fifteen  men  met  the  Governor,  bearing  loads 
of  maize,  with  word  from  the  Cacique  that  he 
waited  for  him,  having  twenty  barbacoas  full ; 
that,  moreover,  himself,  his  lands,  and  his 
vassals,  were  subject  to  his  orders.  On  the  fifth 
day  of  July4  the  Governor  entered  Chiaha. 
The  Cacique  received  him  with  great  pleasure, 
and,  resigning  to  him  his  dwellings  for  his 
residence,  thus  addressed  him: 

POWERFUL  AND  EXCELLENT  MASTER: 

Fortunate  am  I  that  you  will  make  use  of  my 
services.  Nothing  could  happen  that  would  give  me 
so  great  contentment,  or  which  I  should  value  more. 
From  Guaxule  you  sent  to  have  maize  for  you  in 
readiness  to  last  two  months:  you  have  in  this  town 
twenty  barbacoas  full  of  the  choicest  and  the  best 

4  It  should  be  June.  See,  below,  p.  78,  and  Cf. 
Ranjel,  Vol.  II.  p.  107.  (B.) 

73 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

to  be  found  in  all  this  country.  If  the  reception  I 
give  is  not  worthy  of  so  great  a  prince,  consider  my 
youth,  which  will  relieve  me  of  blame,  and  receive 
my  good-will,  which,  with  true  loyalty  and  pure, 
shall  ever  be  shown  in  all  things  that  concern  your 
welfare. 

The  Governor  answered  him,  that  his  gifts 
and  his  kindness  pleased  him  greatly,  and  that 
he  should  ever  consider  him  to  be  his  brother. 

There  was  abundance  of  lard  in  calabashes, 
drawn  like  olive  oil,  which  the  inhabitants 
said  was  the  fat  of  bear.  There  was  likewise 
found  much  oil  of  walnuts,  which,  like  the 
lard,  was  clear  and  of  good  taste;  and  also  a 
honey-comb,  which  the  Christians  had  never 
seen  before,  nor  saw  afterwards,  nor  honey, 
nor  bees,  in  all  the  country. 

The  town  was  isolated,  between  two  arms 
of  a  river,  and  seated  near  one  of  them. 
Above  it,  at  the  distance  of  two  crossbow-shot, 
the  water  divided,  and  united  again  a  league 
below.  The  vale  between,  from  side  to  side, 
was  the  width  in  places  of  a  crossbow-shot, 
and  in  others  of  two.  The  branches  were  very 
wide,  and  both  were  fordable:  along  their 
shores  were  very  rich  meadow-lands,  having 
many  maize-fields. 

As  the  Indians  remained  at  home,  no  houses 
were  taken  save  those  of  the  Chief,  in  which 
the  Governor  lodged;  the  people  lived  out, 

7* 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

wherever  there  happened  to  be  shelter,  each 
man  having  his  tree.'  In  this  manner  the  army 
lay,  the  men  out  of  order  and  far  apart.  The 
Governor  passed  it  over,  as  the  Indians  were 
peaceful,  and  the  weather  very  calm:  the 
people  would  have  suffered  greatly  had  they 
been  required  to  do  differently.  The  horses 
arrived  so  worn  out,  that  they  could  not  bear 
their  riders  from  weakness;  for  they  had  come 
all  the  way  having  only  a  little  maize  to  live 
on,  travelling,  hungry  and  tired,  even  from 
beyond  the  desert  of  Ocute;  so,  as  the  greater 
part  of  them  were  unfit  to  be  mounted, 
even  in  the  necessary  case  of  battle,  they  were 
turned  out  at  night  to  graze,  about  a  quarter 
of  a  league  from  the  camp.  The  Christians 
were  greatly  exposed,  so  much  so  that  if  at 
that  time  the  Indians  had  set  upon  them,  they 
would  have  been  in  bad  way  to  defend  them 
selves. 

The  duration  of  the  sojourn  was  thirty 
days,  in  which  time,  the  soil  being  covered 
with  verdure,  the  horses  fattened.  At  the  de 
parture,  in  consequence  of  the  importunity  of 
some  who  wanted  more  than  was  in  reason, 
the  Governor  asked  thirty  wromen  of  the  Chief 
for  slaves,  who  replied  that  he  would  confer 
with  his  principal  men;  when  one  night,  be 
fore  giving  an  answer,  all  went  off  from  the 
town  with  their  wromen  and  children.  The 

75 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

next  day,  having  made  up  his  mind  to  go  in 
search  of  them,  the  Cacique  arrived,  and,  ap 
proaching,  thus  addressed  him: 

POWERFUL  LORD  : 

Because  of  my  shame,  and  out  of  fear  of  you,  dis 
covering  that  my  subjects,  contrary  to  my  wishes, 
had  chosen  to  absent  themselves,  I  left  without  your 
permission ;  but,  finding  the  error  of  my  way,  I 
have  returned  like  a  true  vassal,  to  put  myself  in 
your  power,  that  you  may  do  with  my  person  as 
shall  seem  best  to  you.  My  people  will  not  obey  me, 
nor  do  any  thing  that  an  uncle  of  mine  does  not 
command:  he  governs  this  country,  in  my  place  un 
til  I  shall  be  of  mature  age.  If  you  would  pursue  and 
punish  them  for  disobedience,  I  will  be  your  guide, 
since  my  fate  at  present  forbids  me  doing  more. 

The  Governor  then,  with  thirty  mounted 
men  and  as  many  footmen,  went  in  search  of 
the  people.  Passing  by  the  towns  of  some  of 
the  chiefs  who  had  gone  off,  he  cut  down  and 
destroyed  the  great  maize-fields;  and  going 
along  up  the  stream  where  the  natives  were, 
on  an  islet,  to  which  the  calvary  could  not  go, 
he  sent  word  to  them,  by  an  Indian,  that  they 
should  put  away  all  their  fears,  and,  return 
ing  to  their  abodes,  give  him  tamemes,  as  had 
been  done  all  the  way  along,  since  he  did  not 
wish  to  have  women,  finding  how  very  dear 
they  were  to  them.  The  Indians  judged  it 
well  to  come  and  make  their  excuses  to  him, 
§o  they  all  went  back  to  the  town. 

7* 


A   FIDALGO   OP  ELVAS 

A  Cacique  of  Acoste,  who  came  to  see  the 
Governor,  after  tendering  his  services,  and 
they  had  exchanged  compliments  and  proffers 
of  friendship,  was  asked  if  he  had  any  informa 
tion  of  a  rich  land;  he  answered  yes:  that 
towards  the  north  there  was  a  province  called 
Chisca,  and  that  a  forge  was  there  for  copper, 
or  other  metal  of  that  colour,  though  brighter, 
having  a  much  finer  hue,  and  was  to  appear 
ances  much  better,  but  was  not  so  much  used, 
for  being  softer ;  which  was  the  statement  that 
had  been  given  in  Cutifachiqui,  where  we  had 
seen  some  chopping-knives  that  were  said  to 
have  a  mixture  of  gold.  As  the  country  on 
the  way  was  thinly  peopled,  and  it  was  said 
there  were  mountains  over  which  the  beasts 
could  not  go,  the  Governor  would  not  march 
directly  thither,  but  judged  that,  keeping  in 
an  inhabited  territory  the  men  and  animals 
would  be  in  better  condition,  while  he  would 
be  more  exactly  informed  of  what  there  was, 
until  he  should  turn  to  it  through  the  ridges 
and  a  region  which  he  could  more  easily  travel. 
He  sent  two  Christians  to  the  country  of 
Chisca,  by  Indians  who  spoke  the  language, 
that  they  might  view  it,  and  were  told  that  he 
would  await  their  return  at  Chiaha  for  what 
they  should  have  to  say. 


77 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 


CHAPTER    XVI 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  LEFT  CHIAHA,  AND,  HAVING  RUN 
A  HAZARD  OF  FALLING  BY  THE  HANDS  OF  THE 
INDIANS,  AT  ACOSTE,  ESCAPED  BY  HIS  ADDRESS: 
WHAT  OCCURRED  TO  HIM  ON  THE  ROUTE,  AND 
HOW  HE  CAME  TO  COCA. 

WHEN  the  Governor  had  determined  to 
move  from  Chiaha  towards  Coste,  he  sent  for 
the  Cacique  to  come  before  him,  and  with 
kind  words  took  his  leave,  receiving  some  slaves 
as  a  gift,  which  pleased  him.  In  seven  days 
the  journey  was  concluded.  On  the  second 
day  of  July,  the  camp  being  pitched  among  the 
trees,  two  crossbow-shot  distant  from  the 
town,  he  went  with  eight  men  of  his  guard 
toward  where  the  Cacique  was,  who  received 
him  evidently  with  great  friendship.  While 
they  were  conversing,  some  infantry  went  into 
the  town  after  maize,  and,  not  satisfied  with 
what  they  got,  they  rummaged  and  searched 
the  houses,  taking  what  they  would ;  at  which 
conduct  the  owners  began  to  rise  and  arm; 
some  of  them,  w^ith  clubs  in  their  hands,  going 
at  five  or  six  men  w^ho  had  given  offence,  beat 
them  to  their  satisfaction.  The  Governor, 
discovering  that  they  were  all  bent  upon  some 
mischief,  and  himself  among  them  with  but 
few  Christians  about  him,  turned  to  escape 

78 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

. 
from  the  difficulty  by  a  stratagem  much  against 

his  nature,  clear  and  reliable  as  it  was,  and 
the  more  unwillingly  as  it  grieved  him  that 
an  Indian  should  presume,  either  with  or 
without  cause,  to  offer  any  indignity  to  a 
Christian:  he  seized  a  stave  and  took  part 
with  the  assailants  against  his  own  people, 
which  while  it  gave  confidence,  directly  he 
sent  a  message  secretly  to  the  camp,  that  armed 
men  should  approach  where  he  was;  then 
taking  the  Chief  by  the  hand,  speaking  to  him 
with  kind  words,  drew  him  with  some  princi 
pal  men  away  from  the  town,  out  into  an 
open  road  in  sight  of  the  encampment,  where 
cautiously  the  Christians  issued  and  by  degrees 
surrounded  them.  In  this  manner  they  were 
conducted  within  the  tents;  and  when  near 
his  marquee  the  Governor  ordered  them  to  be 
put  under  guard.  He  told  them  that  they 
could  not  go  thence  without  giving  him  a 
guide  and  Indians  for  carrying  loads,  nor  until 
the  sick  men  had  arrived  whom  he  had  ordered 
to  come  down  by  the  river  in  canoes  from 
Chiaha,  and  so  likewise  those  he  had  sent  to 
the  Province  of  Chisca.  He  feared  that  both 
the  one  and  the  other  had  been  killed  by  the 
Indians.  In  three  days  they  that  went  to 
Chisca  got  back,  and  related  that  they  had 
been  taken  through  a  country  so  scant  of 
maize,  and  with  such  high  mountains,  that  it 
79 


NARRATIVES   OF  DE   SOTO 

was  impossible  the  army  should  march  in  that 
direction ;  and  finding  the  distance  was  becom 
ing  long,  and  that  they  should  be  back  late, 
upon  consultation  they  agreed  to  return,  com 
ing  from  a  poor  little  town  where  there  was 
nothing  of  value,  bringing  a  cow-hide  as  deli 
cate  as  a  calf-skin  the  people  had  given  them, 
the  hair  being  like  the  soft  wool  on  the  cross 
of  the  merino  with  the  common  sheep. 

The  Cacique  having  furnished  the  guide 
and  tamemes,  by  permission  of  the  Governor 
he  went  his  way.  The  Christians  left  Coste 
the  ninth  day  of  July,  and  slept  that  night  at 
Tali.  The  Cacique  had  come  from  the  town 
to  meet  the  Governor  on  the  road,  and  made 
him  this  speech: 

EXCELLENT  GREAT  PRINCE: 

Worthy  arc  you  of  being  served  and  obeyed  by  all 
the  princes  of  the  world,  for  by  the  face  can  one 
judge  far  of  the  inner  qualities.  Who  you  are  I 
knew,  and  also  of  your  power,  before  your  coming 
here.  I  wish  not  to  draw  attention  to  the  lowliness 
in  which  I  stand  before  you,  to  make  my  poor  serv 
ices  acceptable  and  agreeable,  since,  where  the 
strength  fails,  the  will  should  instead  be  praised  and 
taken.  Hence,  I  dare  to  ask  that  you  will  only  con 
sider  and  attend  to  what  you  will  command  me  to 
do  here  in  your  country. 

The  Governor  answered,  that  his  good-will 
and  offer  pleased  him  as  much  as  though  he 
80 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

had  tendered  him  all  the  treasures  of  the  earth : 
that  he  would  always  be  treated  by  him  as  a 
true  brother,  favoured  and  esteemed.  The 
Cacique  ordered  provision  to  be  brought  for 
twTo  days'  use,  the  time  the  Governor  should 
be  present ;  and  on  his  departure,  gave  him  the 
use  of  two  men  and  four  women,  who  were 
wanted  to  carry  burdens. 

They  travelled  six  days,  passing  by  many 
towns  subject  to  the  Cacique  of  Coga;  and,  as 
they  entered  those  territories,  numerous  mes 
sengers  came  from  him  on  the  road  every  day 
to  the  Governor,  some  going,  others  coming, 
until  they  arrived  at  Coga,  on  Friday,  the 
sixteenth  of  July.  The  Cacique  came  out  to 
receive  him  at  the  distance  of  two  crossbow- 
shot  from  the  town,  borne  in  a  litter  on  the 
shoulders  of  his  principal  men,  seated  on  a 
cushion,  and  covered  with  a  mantle  of  marten- 
skins,  of  the  size  and  shape  of  a  woman's 
shawl:  on  his  head  he  wore  a  diadem  of 
plumes,  and  he  was  surrounded  by  many  at 
tendants  playing  upon  flutes  and  singing. 
Coming  to  where  the  Governor  was,  he  made 
his  obeisance,  and  followed  it  by  these  words: 

POWERFUL  LORD,  SUPERIOR  TO  EVERY  OTHER  OF  THE 

EARTH  : 

Although  I  come  but  now  to  meet  you,  it  is  a  long 
time  since  I  have  received  you  in  my  heart.  That 
was  done  the  first  day  I  heard  of  you,  with  so  great 
II 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

desire  to  serve,  please,  and  give  you  contentment, 
that  this,  which  I  express,  is  nothing  in  comparison 
with  that  which  is  within  me.  Of  this  you  may  be 
sure,  that  to  have  received  the  dominion  of  the  world 
would  not  have  interested  me  so  greatly  as  the  sight 
of  you,  nor  would  I  have  held  it  for  so  great  a 
felicity.  Do  not  look  for  me  to  offer  you  that  which 
is  your  own — this  person,  these  lands,  these  vassals. 
My  only  desire  is  to  employ  myself  in  commanding 
these  people,  that,  with  all  diligence  and  befitting 
respect,  they  conduct  you  hence  to  the  town  in  festiv 
ity  of  voices  and  with  flutes,  where  you  will  be 
lodged  and  waited  upon  by  me  and  them,  where  all 
I  possess  you  will  do  with  as  with  your  own,  and  in 
thus  doing  you  will  confer  favour. 

The  Governor  gave  him  thanks,  and  with 
mutual  satisfaction  they  walked  on  toward  the 
place  conferring,  the  Indians  giving  up  their 
habitations  by  order  of  their  Cacique,  and  in 
which  the  General  and  his  men  took  lodging. 
In  the  barbacoas  was  a  great  quantity  of  maize 
and  beans:  the  country,  thickly  settled  in 
numerous  and  large  towns,  with  fields  be 
tween,  extending  from  one  to  another,  was 
pleasant,  and  had  a  rich  soil  with  fair  river 
margins.  In  the  woods  were  many  ameixas, 
as  well  those  of  Spain  as  of  the  country;  and 
wild  grapes  on  vines  growing  up  into  the  trees, 
near  the  streams ;  likewise  a  kind  that  grew  on 
low  vines  elsewhere,  the  berry  being  large  and 
sweet,  but,  for  want  of  hoeing  and  dressing, 
had  large  stones. 

83 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

It  was  the  practice  to  keep  watch  over  the 
Caciques  that  none  should  absent  themselves, 
they  being  taken  along  by  the  Governor  until 
coming  out  of  their  territories;  for  by  thus 
having  them  the  inhabitants  would  await  their 
arrival  in  the  towns,  give  a  guide,  and  men  to 
carry  the  loads,  who  before  leaving  their 
country  would  have  liberty  to  return  to  their 
homes,  as  sometimes  would  the  tamemes,  so 
soon  as  they  came  to  the  domain  of  any  chief 
where  others  could  be  got.  The  people  of 
Coga,  seeing  their  lord  was  detained,  took  it 
amiss,  and,  going  off,  hid  themselves  in  the 
scrub,  as  well  those  of  the  town  of  the  Ca 
cique  as  those  of  the  towns  of  the  principal 
men  his  vassals.  The  Governor  dispatched  four 
captains  in  as  many  directions  to  search  for 
them:  many  men  and  women  were  taken  who 
were  put  in  chains.  Seeing  how  much  harm 
they  received,  and  how  little  they  gained  by 
going  off,  they  came  in,  declaring  that  they 
desired  to  serve  in  all  that  it  were  possible.  Of 
the  prisoners,  some  of  the  chiefs,  whom  the 
Cacique  interceded  for,  were  let  go;  of  the 
rest,  each  one  took  away  with  him  as  slaves 
those  he  had  in  chains,  none  returning  to  their 
country  save  some  whose  fortune  it  was  to 
escape,  labouring  diligently  to  file  off  their 
irons  at  night;  or,  while  on  the  march,  could 
slip  out  of  the  way,  observing  the  carelessness 
83 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

of  those  who  had  them  in  charge,  sometimes 
taking  off  with  them  in  their  chains  the  bur 
dens  and  the  clothing  with  which  they  were 
laded. 

CHAPTER    XVII 

OF  HOW  THE  GOVERNOR  WENT  FROM  COCA  TO 
TASTALUCA. 

THE  Governor  rested  in  Coga  twenty-five 
days.  On  Friday,  the  twentieth  of  August, 
he  set  out  in  quest  of  a  province  called  Tasta- 
luca,  taking  with  him  the  Cacique  of  Coga. 
The  first  day  he  went  through  Tallimuchase, 
a  great  town  without  inhabitants,  halting  to 
sleep  half  a  league  beyond,  near  a  river-bank. 
The  following  day  he  came  to  Ytaua,  a  town 
subject  to  Coga.  He  was  detained  six  days, 
because  of  a  river  near  by  that  was  then 
swollen:  so  soon  as  it  could  be  crossed  he  took 
up  his  march,  and  went  towards  Ullibahali. 
Ten  or  twelve  chiefs  came  to  him  on  the  road, 
from  the  Cacique  of  that  province,  tendering 
his  service,  bearing  bows  and  arrows  and  wear 
ing  bunches  of  feathers. 

The  Governor  having  arrived  at  the  town 
with  a  dozen  cavalry  and  several  of  his  guard, 
he  left  them  at  the  distance  of  a  crossbow-shot 
and  entered  the  town.  He  found  all  the 
Indians  with  their  weapons,  and,  according 
to  their  ways,  it  appeared  to  him  in  readiness 
84 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS     . 

for  action:  he  understood  afterwards  that  they 
had  determined  to  wrest  the  Cacique  of  Coga 
from  his  power,  should  that  chief  have  called 
on  them.  The  place  was  enclosed,  and  near 
by  ran  a  small  stream.  The  fence,  which  was 
like  that  seen  afterwards  to  other  towns,  was 
of  large  timber  sunk  deep  and  firmly  into  the 
earth,  having  many  long  poles  the  size  of  the 
arm,  placed  crosswise  to  nearly  the  height  of 
a  lance,  with  embrasures,  and  coated  with  mud 
inside  and  out,  having  loop-holes  for  archery. 
The  Governor  ordered  all  his  men  to  enter 
the  town.  The  Cacique,  who  at  the  moment 
was  at  a  town  on  the  opposite  shore,  was  sent 
for,  and  he  came  at  once.  After  some  words 
between  him  and  the  Governor,  proffering 
mutual  service,  he  gave  the  tamemes  that  were 
requisite  and  thirty  women  as  slaves.  Man- 
cano,  a  native  of  Salamanca,  of  noble  an 
cestry,  having  strayed  off  in  search  of  the 
grapes,  which  are  good  here,  and  plenty,  was 
lost. 

The  Christians  left,  and  that  day  they  ar 
rived  to  sleep  at  a  town  subject  to  the  lord  of 
Ullibahali,  and  the  next  day  they  came  to  pass 
the  night  at  the  town  of  Toasi,  where  the  in 
habitants  gave  the  Governor  thirty  women 
and  the  tamemes  that  were  wanted.  The 
amount  of  travel  usually  performed  was  five 
pr  six  leagues  a  day,  passing  through  settled 
85 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

country;  and  when  through  desert,  all  the 
haste  possible  was  made,  to  avoid  the  want  of 
maize.  From  Toasi,  passing  through  some 
towns  subject  to  the  lord  of  the  Province 
of  Tallise,  he  journeyed  five  days,  and  ar 
rived  at  the  town  the  eighteenth  day  of  Sep 
tember. 

Tallise  was  large,  situated  by  the  side  of  a 
great  river,  other  towns  and  many  fields  of 
maize  being  on  the  opposite  shore,  the  country 
on  both  sides  having  the  greatest  abundance  of 
grain.  The  inhabitants  had  gone  off.  The 
Governor  sent  to  call  the  Cacique,  who,  having 
arrived,  after  an  interchange  of  kind  words 
and  good  promises,  lent  him  forty  men.  A 
chief  came  to  the  Governor  in  behalf  of  the 
Cacique  of  Tastaluca,  and  made  the  following 
address : 

VERY  POWERFUL,  VIRTUOUS,  AND  ESTEEMED  LORD: 

The  grand  Cacique  of  Tastaluca,  my  master,  sends 
me  to  salute  you.  He  bids  me  say,  that  he  is  told 
how  all,  not  without  reason,  are  led  captive  by  your 
perfections  and  power;  that  wheresoever  lies  your 
path  you  receive  gifts  and  obedience,  which  he 
knows  are  all  jour  due;  and  that  he  longs  to  see 
you  as  much  as  he  could  desire  for  the  continuance 
of  life.  Thus,  he  sends  me  to  offer  you  his  person, 
his  lands,  his  subjects ;  to  say,  that  wheresoever  it 
shall  please  you  to  go  through  his  territories,  you 
will  find  service  and  obedience,  friendship  and 
peace.  In  requital  of  this  wish  to  serve  you,  he  asks 
that  you  so  far  favour  him  as  to  say  when  you  will 
86 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

come ;   for  that  the  sooner  you  do  so,  the  greater  will 
be  the  obligation,  and  to  him  the  earlier  pleasure. 

The  Governor  received  and  parted  with  the 
messenger  graciously,  giving  him  beads  (which 
by  the  Indians  are  not  much  esteemed),  and 
other  articles,  that  he  should  take  them  to  his 
lord.  He  dismissed  the  Cacique  of  Coga,  that 
he  might  return  to  his  country:  he  of  Tallise 
gave  him  the  tamemes  that  were  needed;  and, 
having  sojourned  twenty  days,  the  Governor 
set  out  for  Tastaluca.  He  slept  the  night  at 
a  large  town  called  Casiste,  and  the  next  day, 
passing  through  another,  arrived  at  a  village 
in  the  Province  of  Tastaluca;  and  the  fol 
lowing  night  he  rested  in  a  wood,  two  leagues 
from  the  town  where  the  Cacique  resided,  and 
where  he  was  then  present.  He  sent  the  Field- 
Marshal,  Luis  de  Moscoso,  with  fifteen  cav 
alry,  to  inform  him  of  his  approach. 

The  Cacique  was  at  home,  in  a  piazza.  Be 
fore  his  dwelling,  on  a  high  place,  was  spread 
a  mat  for  him,  upon  which  two  cushions  were 
placed,  one  above  another,  to  which  he  went 
and  sat  down,  his  men  placing  themselves 
around,  some  way  removed,  so  that  an  open 
circle  was  formed  about  him,  the  Indians  of 
the  highest  rank  being  nearest  to  his  person. 
One  of  them  shaded  him  from  the  sun  with  a 
circular  umbrella,  spread  wide,  the  size  of  a 
target,  with  a  small  stem,  and  having  deer- 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

skin  extended  over  cross-sticks,  quartered  with 
red  and  white,  which  at  a  distance  made  it 
look  of  taffeta,  the  colours  were  so  very  per 
fect.  It  formed  the  standard  of  the  Chief, 
which  he  carried  into  battle.  His  appearance 
was  full  of  dignity:  he  was  tall  of  person, 
muscular,  lean,  and  symmetrical.  He  was  the 
suzerain  of  many  territories,  and  of  a  numer 
ous  people,  being  equally  feared  by  his  vassals 
and  the  neighbouring  nations.  The  Field- 
Marshal,  after  he  had  spoken  to  him,  ad 
vanced  with  his  company,  their  steeds  leaping 
from  side  to  side,  and  at  times  towards  the 
Chief,  when  he,  with  great  gravity,  and  seem 
ingly  with  indifference,  now  and  then  would 
raise  his  eyes,  and  look  on  as  in  contempt. 

The  Governor  approached  him,  but  he  made 
no  movement  to  rise;  he  took  him  by  the 
hand,  and  they  went  together  to  seat  them 
selves  on  the  bench  that  was  in  the  piazza. 
The  Cacique  addressed  him  these  words: 

POWERFUL  CHIEF: 

Your  lordship  is  very  welcome.  With  the  sight  of 
you  I  receive  as  great  pleasure  and  comfort  as 
though  you  were  an  own  brother  whom  I  dearly 
loved.  It  is  idle  to  use  many  words  here,  as  it  is 
not  well  to  speak  at  length  where  a  few  may  suffice. 
The  greater  the  will  the  more  estimable  the  deed ; 
and  acts  are  the  living  witnesses  of  truth.  You  shall 
learn  how  strong  and  positive  is  my  will,  and  how 
disinterested  my  inclination  to  serve  you.  The  gifts 
88 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

you  did  me  the  favour  to  send  I  esteem  in  all 
their  value,  but  most  because  they  were  yours.  See 
in  what  you  will  command  me. 

The  Governor  satisfied  the  Chief  with  a 
few  brief  words  of  kindness.  On  leaving  he 
determined,  for  certain  reasons,  to  take  him 
along.  The  second  day  on  the  road  he  came 
to  a  town  called  Piache:  a  great  river  ran 
near,  and  the  Governor  asked  for  canoes.  The 
Indians  said  they  had  none,  but  that  they 
could  have  rafts  of  cane  and  dried  wood, 
whereon  they  might  readily  enough  go  over, 
which  they  diligently  set  about  making,  and 
soon  completed.  They  managed  them;  and 
the  water  being  calm,  the  Governor  and  his 
men  easily  crossed. 

From  the  port  of  Espiritu  Santo  to  Palache, 
a  march  of  about  a  hundred  leagues,  the 
course  was  west;  from  Apalache  to  Cutifa- 
chiqui,  which  may  be  four  hundred  and  thirty 
leagues,  it  was  northeast;  from  thence  to 
Xualla,  two  hundred  and  fifty  leagues,  it  was 
towards  the  north;  and  thence  to  Tastaluca, 
which  may  be  some  other  two  hundred  and 
fifty  leagues,  one  hundred  and  ninety  of  them 
were  toward  the  west,  going  to  the  Province 
of  Coga,  and  the  sixty  southwardly,  in  going 
thence  to  Tastaluca. 

After  crossing  the  river  of  Piache,  a  Chris 
tian  having  gone  to  look  after  a  woman  gotten 
89 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

away  from  him,  he  had  been  either  captured 
or  killed  by  the  natives,  and  the  Governor 
pressed  the  Chief  to  tell  what  had  been  done; 
threatening,  that  should  the  man  not  appear, 
he  would  never  release  him.  The  Cacique 
sent  an  Indian  thence  to  Mauilla,  the  town  of 
a  chief,  his  vassal,  whither  they  were  going, 
stating  that  he  sent  to  give  him  notice  that  he 
should  have  provisions  in  readiness  and  In 
dians  for  loads;  but  which,  as  afterwards  ap 
peared,  was  a  message  for  him  to  get  together 
there  all  the  warriors  in  his  country. 

The  Governor  marched  three  days,  the  last 
one  of  them  continually  through  an  inhabited 
region,  arriving  on  Monday,  the  eighteenth 
day  of  October,  at  Mauilla.  He  rode  for 
ward  in  the  vanguard,  with  fifteen  cavalry 
and  thirty  infantry,  when  a  Christian  he  had 
sent  with  a  message  to  the  Cacique,  three  or 
four  days  before,  with  orders  not  to  be  gone 
long,  and  to  discover  the  temper  of  the  Indians, 
came  out  from  the  town  and  reported  that 
they  appeared  to  him  to  be  making  prepara 
tion;  for  that  while  he  was  present  many 
weapons  were  brought,  and  many  people  came 
into  the  town,  and  work  had  gone  on  rapidly 
to  strengthen  the  palisade.  Luis  de  Moscoso 
said  that,  since  the  Indians  were  so  evil  dis 
posed,  it  would  be  better  to  stop  in  the  woods; 
to  which  the  Governor  answered,  that  he  was 
90 


-A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

impatient  of  sleeping  out,  and  that  he  would 
lodge  in  the  town. 

Arriving  near,  the  Chief  came  out  to  re 
ceive  him,  with  many  Indians  singing  and 
playing  on  flutes,  and  after  tendering  his 
services,  gave  him  three  cloaks  of  marten- 
skins.  The  Governor  entered  the  town  with 
the  Caciques,  seven  or  eight  men  of  his  guard, 
and  three  or  four  cavalry,  who  had  dismounted 
to  accompany  them;  and  they  seated  them 
selves  in  a  piazza.  The  Cacique  of  Tasta- 
luca  asked  the  Governor  to  allow  him  to  re 
main  there,  and  not  to  weary  him  any  more 
with  walking;  but,  finding  that  was  not  to  be 
permitted,  he  changed  his  plan,  and,  under 
pretext  of  speaking  with  some  of  the  chiefs,  he 
got  up  from  where  he  sate,  by  the  side  of  the 
Governor,  and  entered  a  house  where  were 
many  Indians  with  their  bows  and  arrows.  The 
Governor,  finding  that  he  did  not  return, 
called  to  him;  to  which  the  Cacique  answered 
that  he  would  not  come  out,  nor  would  he 
leave  that  town;  that  if  the  Governor  wished 
to  go  in  peace,  he  should  quit  at  once,  and  not 
persist  in  carrying  him  away  by  force  from 
his  country  and  its  dependencies. 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

CHAPTER    XVIII 

How  THE  INDIANS  ROSE  UPON  THE  GOVERNOR,  AND 

WHAT     FOLLOWED     UPON    THAT     RISING. 

THE  Governor,  in  view  of  the  determina 
tion  and  furious  answrer  of  the  Cacique, 
thought  to  soothe  him  with  soft  words;  to 
which  he  made  no  answer,  but,  with  great 
haughtiness  and  contempt,  withdrew  to  where 
Soto  could  not  see  nor  speak  to  him.  The 
Governor,  that  he  might  send  word  to  the 
Cacique  for  him  to  remain  in  the  country  at 
his  will,  and  to  be  pleased  to  give  him  a  guide, 
and  persons  to  carry  burdens,  that  he  might 
see  if  he  could  pacify  him  with  gentle  words, 
called  to  a  chief  who  was  passing  by.  The 
Indian  replied,  loftily,  that  he  would  not  listen 
to  him.  Baltasar  de  Gallegos,  who  was  near, 
seized  him  by  the  cloak  of  marten-skins  that 
he  had  on,  drew  it  off  over  his  head,  and  left 
it  in  his  hands;  whereupon,  the  Indians  all 
beginning  to  rise,  he  gave  him  a  stroke  with  a 
cutlass,  that  laid  open  his  back,  when  they, 
with  loud  yells,  came  out  of  the  houses,  dis 
charging  their  bows. 

The  Governor,  discovering  that  if  he  re 
mained  there  they  could  not  escape,  and  if 
he  should  order  his  men,  w7ho  were  outside  of 
the  town,  to  come  in,  the  horses  might  be 
93 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

killed  by  the  Indians  from  the  houses  and  great 
injury  done,  he  ran  out;  but  before  he  could 
get  away  he  fell  two  or  three  times,  and  was 
helped  to  rise  by  those  with  him.  He  and 
they  were  all  badly  wounded:  within  the 
town  five  Christians  were  instantly  killed. 
Coming  forth,  he  called  out  to  all  his  men  to 
get  farther  off,  because  there  was  much  harm 
doing  from  the  palisade.  The  natives  dis 
covering  that  the  Christians  were  retiring, 
and  some,  if  not  the  greater  number,  at  more 
than  a  walk,  the  Indians  followed  with  great 
boldness,  shooting  at  them,  or  striking  down 
such  as  they  could  overtake.  Those  in  chains 
having  set  down  their  burdens  near  the  fence 
while  the  Christians  were  retiring,  the  people 
of  Mauilla  lifted  the  loads  on  to  their  backs, 
and,  bringing  them  into  the  town,  took  off 
their  irons,  putting  bows  and  arms  in  their 
hands,  with  which  to  fight.  Thus  did  the 
foe  come  into  possession  of  all  the  clothing, 
pearls,  and  whatsoever  else  the  Christians  had 
beside,  which  was  what  their  Indians  carried. 
Since  the  natives  had  been  at  peace  to  that 
place,  some  of  us,  putting  our  arms  in  the 
luggage,  went  without  any;  and  two,  who 
were  in  the  town,  had  their  swords  and  hal 
berds  taken  from  them,  and  put  to  use. 

The  Governor,  presently  as  he  found  him 
self  in  the  field,  called  for  a  horse,  and,  with 
-,1^ 93 


NARRATIVES   OF  DE  SOTO 

some  followers,  returned  and  lanced  two  .or 
three  of  the  Indians;  the  rest,  going  back  into 
the  town,  shot  arrows  from  the  palisade. 
Those  who  would  venture  on  their  nimble- 
ness  came  out  a  stone's  throw  from  behind  it, 
to  fight,  retiring  from  time  to  time,  when 
they  were  set  upon. 

At  the  time  of  the  affray  there  was  a  friar, 
a  clergyman,  a  servant  of  the  Governor,  and 
a  female  slave  in  the  town,  who,  having  no 
time  in  which  to  get  away,  took  to  a  house, 
and  there  remained  until  after  the  Indians 
became  masters  of  the  place.  They  closed 
the  entrance  with  a  lattice  door;  and 
there  being  a  sword  among  them,  which  the 
servant  had,  he  put  himself  behind  the  door, 
striking  at  the  Indians  that  would  have  come 
in;  while,  on  the  other  side,  stood  the  friar 
and  the  priest,  each  with  a  club  in  hand,  to 
strike  down  the  first  that  should  enter.  The 
Indians,  finding  that  they  could  not  get  in 
by  the  door,  began  to  unroof  the  house:  at 
this  moment  the  cavalry  were  all  arrived  at 
Mauilla,  with  the  infantry  that  had  been  on 
the  march,  when  a  difference  of  opinion  arose 
as  to  whether  the  Indians  should  be  attacked, 
in  order  to  enter  the  town ;  for  the  result  was 
held  doubtful,  but  finally  it  was  concluded  to 
make  the  assault. 


94 


A   FIDALGO   OP   ELVAS 

CHAPTER     XIX 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  SENT  HIS  MEN  IN  ORDER 
OF  BATTLE  AND  ENTERED  THE  TOWN  OF 
MAUILLA. 

So  soon  as  the  advance  and  the  rear  of  the 
force  were  come  up,  the  Governor  commanded 
that  all  the  best  armed  should  dismount,  of 
which  he  made  four  squadrons  of  footmen. 
The  Indians,  observing  how  he  was  going  on 
arranging  his  men,  urged  the  Cacique  to 
leave,  telling  him,  as  was  afterwards  made 
known  by  some  women  who  were  taken  in 
the  town,  that  as  he  was  but  one  man,  and 
could  fight  but  as  one  only,  there  being  many 
chiefs  present  very  skilful  and  experienced  in 
matters  of  war,  any  one  of  whom  was  able  to 
command  the  rest,  and  as  things  in  war  were 
so  subject  to  fortune,  that  it  was  never  cer 
tain  which  side  would  overcome  the  other, 
they  wished  him  to  put  his  person  in  safety; 
for  if  they  should  conclude  their  lives  there, 
on  which  they  had  resolved  rather  than  sur 
render,  he  would  remain  to  govern  the  land: 
but  for  all  that  they  said,  he  did  not  wish  to 
go,  until,  from  being  continually  urged,  with 
fifteen  or  twenty  of  his  own  people  he  went 
out  of  the  town,  taking  with  him  a  scarlet 
cloak  and  other  articles  of  the  Christians' 
95 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

clothing,  being  whatever  he  could  carry  and 
that  seemed  best  to  him. 

The  Governor,  informed  that  the  Indians 
were  leaving  the  town,  commanded  the  cav 
alry  to  surround  it;  and  into  each  squadron 
of  foot  he  put  a  soldier,  with  a  brand,  to  set 
fire  to  the  houses,  that  the  Indians  might  have 
no  shelter.  His  men  being  placed  in  full  con 
cert,  he  ordered  an  arquebuse  to  be  shot 
off:  at  the  signal  the  four  squadrons,  at  their 
proper  points,  commenced  a  furious  onset,  and, 
both  sides  severely  suffering,  the  Christians 
entered  the  town.  The  friar,  the  priest,  and 
the  rest  who  were  with  them  in  the  house, 
were  all  saved,  though  at  the  cost  of  the  lives 
of  two  brave  and  very  able  men  who  went 
thither  to  their  rescue.  The  Indians  fought 
with  so  great  spirit  that  they  many  times  drove 
our  people  back  out  of  the  town.  The  strug 
gle  lasted  so  long  that  many  Christians,  weary 
and  very  thirsty,  went  to  drink  at  a  pond 
near  by,  tinged  with  the  blood  of  the  killed, 
and  returned  to  the  combat.  The  Governor, 
witnessing  this,  with  those  who  followed  him 
in  the  returning  charge  of  the  footmen,  en 
tered  the  town  on  horseback,  which  gave  op 
portunity  to  fire  the  dwellings;  then  breaking 
in  upon  the  Indians  and  beating  them  down, 
they  fled  out  of  the  place,  the  cavalry  and 
infantry  driving  them  back  through  the  gates, 
96 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

where,  losing  the  hope  of  escape,  they  fought 
valiantly;  and  the  Christians  getting  among 
them  with  cutlasses,  they  found  themselves  met 
on  all  sides  by  their  strokes,  when  many, 
dashing  headlong  into  the  flaming  houses, 
wrere  smothered,  and,  heaped  one  upon  an 
other,  burned  to  death. 

They  who  perished  there  were  in  all  two 
thousand  five  hundred,  a  few  more  or  less: 
of  the  Christians  there  fell  eighteen, 
among  whom  was  Don  Carlos,  brother-in-law 
of  the  Governor;  one  Juan  de  Gamez,  a 
nephew;  Men,  Rodriguez,  a  Portugues;  and 
Juan  Vazquez,  of  Villanueva  de  Barcarota, 
men  of  condition  and  courage;  the  rest  were 
infantry.  Of  the  living,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Christians  had  received  seven  hundred 
wounds  from  the  arrow;  and  God  was  pleased 
that  they  should  be  healed  in  little  time  of 
very  dangerous  injuries.  Twelve  horses  died, 
and  seventy  were  hurt.  The  clothing  the 
Christians  carried  with  them,  the  ornaments 
for  saying  mass,  and  the  pearls,  were  all 
burned  there;  they  having  set  the  fire  them 
selves,  because  they  considered  the  loss  less 
than  the  injury  they  might  receive  of  the  In 
dians  from  within  the  houses,  where  they  had 
brought  the  things  together. 

The  Governor  learning  in  Mauilla  that 
Francisco  Maldonado  was  waiting  for  him  in 
97 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

the  port  of  Ochuse,  six  days'  travel  distant, 
he  caused  Juan  Ortiz  to  keep  the  news  secret, 
that  he  might  not  be  interrupted  in  his  pur 
pose;  because  the  pearls  he  wished  to  send  to 
Cuba  for  show,  that  their  fame  might  raise 
the  desire  of  coming  to  Florida,  had  been 
lost,  and  he  feared  that,  hearing  of  him  with 
out  seeing  either  gold  or  silver,  or  other  thing 
of  value  from  that  land,  it  would  come  to  have 
such  reputation  that  no  one  would  be  found 
to  go  there  when  men  should  be  wanted:  so 
he  determined  to  send  no  news  of  himself 
until  he  should  have  discovered  a  rich  country. 


CHAPTER    XX 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  SET  OUT  FROM  MAUILLA  TO  GO 
TO  CHICACA,  AND  WHAT  BEFELL  HIM. 

FROM  the  time  the  Governor  arrived  in 
Florida  until  he  went  from  Mauilla,  there 
died  one  hundred  and  two  Christians,  some 
of  sickness,  others  by  the  hand  of  the  Indians. 
Because  of  the  wounded,  he  stopped  in  that 
place  twenty-eight  days,  all  the  time  remain 
ing  out  in  the  fields.  The  country  was  a  rich 
soil,  and  well  inhabited :  some  towns  were  very 
large,  and  were  picketed  about.  The  people 
were  numerous  everywhere;  the  dwellings 
standing  a  crossbow-shot  or  two  apart. 
98 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

On  Sunday,  the  eighteenth  of  November,1 
the  sick  being  found  to  be  getting  on  well,  the 
Governor  left  Mauilla,  taking  with  him  a 
supply  of  maize  for  two  days.  He  marched 
five  days  through  a  wilderness,  arriving  in  a 
province  called  Pafallaya,  at  the  town  Talie- 
pataua ;  and  thence  he  went  to  another,  named 
Cabusto,  near  which  was  a  large  river,  whence 
the  Indians  on  the  farther  bank  shouted  to  the 
Christians  that  they  would  kill  them  should 
they  come  over  there.  He  ordered  the  build 
ing  of  a  piragua  within  the  town,  that  the 
natives  might  have  no  knowledge  of  it;  which 
being  finished  in  four  days,  and  ready,  he 
directed  it  to  be  taken  on  sleds  half  a  league 
up  stream,  and  in  the  morning  thirty  men 
entered  it,  well  armed.  The  Indians  discov 
ering  what  was  going  on,  they  who  were 
nearest  went  to  oppose  the  landing,  and  did 
the  best  they  could ;  but  the  Christians  draw 
ing  near,  and  the  piragua  being  about  to  reach 
the  shore,  they  fled  into  some  cane-brakes. 
The  men  on  horses  went  up  the  river  to  secure 
a  landing-place,  to  which  the  Governor  passed 
over,  with  the  others  that  remained.  Some 
of  the  towns  were  well  stored  writh  maize 
and  beans. 

xThe  eighteenth  of  November  in  1540  was 
Thursday.  It  was  on  Sunday,  November  14,  that  De 
Soto  left  Mauilla.  Cf.  Ranjel,  Vol.  II.  p.  128.  (B.) 

99 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

Thence  towards  Chicaga  the  Governor 
marched  five  days  through  a  desert,  and  ar 
rived  at  a  river,  on  the  farther  side  of  which 
were  Indians,  who  wished  to  arrest  his  pas 
sage.  In  two  days  another  piragua  was  made, 
and  when  ready  he  sent  an  Indian  in  it  to  the 
Cacique,  to  say,  that  if  he  wished  his  friend 
ship  he  should  quietly  wait  for  him ;  but  they 
killed  the  messeng&r  before  his  eyes,  and  with 
loud  yells  departed.  He  crossed  the  river  the 
seventeenth  of  December,  and  arrived  the 
same  day  at  Chicaga,  a  small  town  of  twenty 
houses.  There  the  people  underwent  severe 
cold,  for  it  was  already  winter,  and  snow  fell: 
the  greater  number  were  then  lying  in  the 
fields,  it  being  before  they  had  time  to  put 
up  habitations.  The  land  was  thickly  in 
habited,  the  people  living  about  over  it  as  they 
do  in  Mauilla;  and  as  it  was  fertile,  the  greater 
part  being  under  cultivation,  there  was  plenty 
of  maize.  So  much  grain  was  brought  together 
as  was  needed  for  getting  through  with  the 
season. 

Some  Indians  were  taken,  among  whom 
was  one  the  Cacique  greatly  esteemed.  The 
Governor  sent  an  Indian  to  the  Cacique  to 
say,  that  he  desired  to  see  him  and  have  his 
friendship.  He  came,  and  offered  him  the 
services  of  his  person,  territories,  and  sub 
jects:  he  said  that  he  would  cause  two  chiefs 
zoo 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS      fj 

to  visit  him  in  peace.  In  a  few  days  he  re 
turned  with  them,  they  bringing  their  In 
dians.  They  presented  the  Governor  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  conies,  with  clothing  of  the 
country,  such  as  shawls  and  skins.  The  name 
of  the  one  was  Alimamu,  of  the  other 
Niculasa. 

The  Cacique  of  Chicaga  came  to  visit  him 
many  times:  on  some  occasions  he  was  sent 
for,  and  a  horse  taken,  on  which  to  bring 
and  carry  him  back.  He  made  complaint  that 
a  vassal  of  his  had  risen  against  him,  with 
holding  tribute;  and  he  asked  for  assistance, 
desiring  to  seek  him  in  his  territory,  and  give 
him  the  chastisement  he  deserved.  The  whole 
was  found  to  be  feigned,  to  the.  end  that,  while 
the  Governor  should  be  absent  with  him, 
and  the  force  divided,  they  would  attack  the 
parts  separately — some  the  one  under  him, 
others  the  other,  that  remained  in  Chicaga. 
He  went  to  the  town  where  he  lived,  and 
came  back  with  two  hundred  Indians,  bearing 
bows  and  arrows. 

The  Governor,  taking  thirty  cavalry  and 
eighty  infantry,  marched  to  Saquechuma,  the 
Province  of  the  Chief  whom  the  Cacique  said 
had  rebelled.  The  town  was  untenanted,  and 
the  Indians,  for  greater  dissimulation,  set  fire 
to  it;  but  the  people  with  the  Governor  being 
very  careful  and  vigilant,  as  were  also  those 
IPX 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

that  ha'd"  been  left  in  Chicaga,  no  enemy  dared 
to  fall  upon  them.  The  Governor  invited 
the  caciques  and  some  chiefs  to  dine  with  him, 
giving  them  pork  to  eat,  which  they  so  relished, 
although  not  used  to  it,  that  every  night  In 
dians  would  come  up  to  some  houses  where 
the  hogs  slept,  a  crossbow-shot  off  from  the 
camp,  to  kill  and  carry  away  what  they  could 
of  them.  Three  were  taken  in  the  act:  two 
the  Governor  commanded  to  be  slain  with 
arrows,  and  the  remaining  one,  his  hands 
having  first  been  cut  off,  was  sent  to  the 
Cacique,  who  appeared  grieved  that  they  had 
given  offence,  and  glad  that  they  were 
punished. 

This  Chief  was  half  a  league  from  where 
the  Christians  were,  in  an  open  country, 
whither  wandered  off  four  of  the  cavalry: 
Francisco  Osorio,  Reynoso,  a  servant  of  the 
Marquis  of  Astorga,  and  two  servants  of  the 
Governor, — the  one  Ribera,  his  page,  the 
other  Fuentes,  his  chamberlain.  They  took 
some  skins  and  shawls  from  the  Indians,  who 
made  great  outcry  in  consequence,  and 
abandoned  their  houses.  When  the  Governor 
heard  of  it,  he  ordered  them  to  be  apprehended, 
and  condemned  Osorio  and  Fuentes  to  death, 
as  principals,  and  all  of  them  to  lose  their 
goods.  The  friars,  the  priests,  and  other 
principal  personages  solicited  him  to  let  Osorio 
IQZ 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

live,  and  moderate  the  sentence ;  but  he  would 
do  so  for  no  one.  When  about  ordering  them 
to  be  taken  to  the  town-yard  to  be  beheaded, 
some  Indians  arrived,  sent  by  the  Chief  to 
complain  of  them.  Juan  Ortiz,  at  the  en 
treaty  of  Baltasar  de  Gallegos  and  others, 
changed  their  words,  telling  the  Governor,  as 
from  the  Cacique,  that  he  had  understood  those 
Christians  had  been  arrested  on  his  account; 
that  they  were  in  no  fault,  having  offended 
him  in  nothing,  and  that  if  he  wyould  do  him 
a  favour,  to  let  them  go  free:  then  Ortiz  said 
to  the  Indians,  that  the  Governor  had  the 
persons  in  custody,  and  would  visit  them 
with  such  punishment  as  should  be  an  example 
to  the  rest.  The  prisoners  were  ordered  to  be 
released. 

So  soon  as  March  had  come,  the  Governor, 
having  determined  to  leave  Chicaga,  asked  two 
hundred  tamemes  of  the  Cacique,  who  told 
him  that  he  would  confer  with  his  chiefs. 
Tuesday,  the  eighth,  he  went  where  the  Ca 
cique  was,  to  ask  for  the  carriers,  and  was  told 
that  he  would  send  them  the  next  day.  When 
the  Governor  saw  the  Chief,  he  said  to  Luis 
de  Moscoso  that  the  Indians  did  not  appear 
right  to  him ;  that  a  very  careful  watch  should 
be  kept  that  night,  to  which  the  Field  Marshal 
paid  little  attention.  At  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning  the  Indians  fell  upon  them  in  four 
103 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

squadrons,  from  as  many  quarters,  and  di 
rectly  as  they  were  discovered,  they  beat  a 
drum.  With  loud  shouting,  they  came  in 
such  haste,  that  they  entered  the  camp  at 
the  same  moment  with  some  scouts  that  had 
been  out;  of  which,  by  the  time  those  in  the 
town  were  aware,  half  the  houses  were  in 
flames.  That  night  it  had  been  the  turn  of 
three  horsemen  to  be  of  the  watch, — two  of 
them  men  of  low  degree,  the  least  value  of  any 
in  the  camp,  and  the  third  a  nephew  of  the 
Governor,  who  had  been  deemed  a  brave  man 
until  now,  when  he  showed  himself  as  great 
a  coward  as  either  of  the  others;  for  they  all 
fled,  and  the  Indians,  finding  no  resistance, 
came  up  and  set  fire  to  the  place.  They  waited 
outside  of  the  town  for  the  Christians,  behind 
the  gates,  as  they  should  come  out  of  the 
doors,  having  had  no  opportunity  to  put  on 
their  arms;  and  as  they  ran  in  all  direc 
tions,  bewildered  by  the  noise,  blinded  by  the 
smoke  and  the  brightness  of  the  flame,  know 
ing  not  whither  they  were  going,  or  were  able 
to  find  their  arms,  or  put  saddles  on  their 
steeds,  they  saw  not  the  Indians  who  shot 
arrows  at  them.  Those  of  the  horses  that 
could  break  their  halters  got  away,  and  many 
\vere  burned  to  death  in  the  stalls. 

The  confusion  and  rout  were  so  great  that 
each  man  fled  by  the  way  that  first  opened  t9 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

him,  there  being  none  to  oppose  the  Indians: 
but  God,  who  chastiseth  his  own  as  he 
pleaseth,  and  in  the  greatest  wants  and  perils 
hath  them  in  his  hand,  shut  the  eyes  of  the 
Indians,  so  that  they  could  not  discern  what 
they  had  done,  and  believed  that  the  beasts 
running  about  loose  were  the  cavalry  gather 
ing  to  fall  upon  them.  The  Governor,  with 
a  soldier  named  Tapia,  alone  got  mounted, 
and,  charging  upon  the  Indians,  he  struck 
down  the  first  of  them  he  met  with  a  blow 
of  the  lance,  but  went  over  with  the  saddle, 
because  in  the  haste  it  had  not  been  tightly 
drawn,  and  he  fell.  The  men  on  foot,  run 
ning  to  a  thicket  outside  of  the  town,  came 
together  there:  the  Indians  imagining,  as  it 
was  dark,  that  the  horses  were  cavalry  com 
ing  upon  them,  as  has  been  stated,  they 
fled,  leaving  only  one  dead,  which  was  he  the 
Governor  smote. 

The  town  lay  in  cinders.  A  woman,  with 
her  husband,  having  left  a  house,  went  back 
to  get  some  pearls  that  had  remained  there; 
and  when  she  would  have  come  out  again  the 
fire  had  reached  the  door,  and  she  could  not, 
neither  could  her  husband  assist  her,  so  she  was 
consumed.  Three  Christians  came  out  of  the 
fire  in  so  bad  plight,  that  one  of  them  died 
in  three  days  from  that  time,  and  the  two 
pthers  for  a  long  while  were  carried  in  their 
105 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

pallets,  on  poles  borne  on  the  shoulders  of 
Indians,  for  otherwise  they  could  not  have  got 
along.  There  died  in  this  affair  eleven  Chris 
tians,  and  fifty  horses.  One  hundred  of  the 
swine  remained,  four  hundred  having  been 
destroyed,  from  the  conflagration  of  Mauilla. 
If,  by  good  luck,  any  one  had  been  able  to 
save  a  garment  until  then,  it  was  there  de 
stroyed.  Many  remained  naked,  not  having 
had  time  to  catch  up  their  skin  dresses.  In 
that  place  they  suffered  greatly  from  cold, 
the  only  relief  being  in  large  fires,  and  they 
passed  the  night  long  in  turning,  without  the 
power  to  sleep ;  for  as  one  side  of  a  man  would 
warm,  the  other  would  freeze.  Some  con 
trived  mats  of  dried  grass  sewed  together,  one 
to  be  placed  below,  and  the  other  above  them: 
many  who  laughed  at  this  expedient  were 
afterwards  compelled  to  do  the  like.  The 
Christians  were  left  so  broken  up,  that  what 
with  the  want  of  the  saddles  and  arms  which 
had  been  destroyed,  had  the  Indians  returned 
the  second  night,  they  might,  with  little 
effort,  have  been  overpowered.  They  removed 
from  that  town  to  the  one  where  the  Cacique 
was  accustomed  to  live,  because  it  was  in  the 
open  field.  In  eight  days'  time  they  had  con 
structed  many  saddles  from  the  ash,  and  like 
wise  lances,  as  good  as  those  made  in  Biscay. 


106 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

CHAPTER    XXI 

How  THE  INDIANS  RETURNED  TO  ATTACK  THE  CHRIS 
TIANS,   AND    HOW  THE    GOVERNOR  WENT  TO   ALI- 

MAMU,  AND  THEY  TARRIED  TO  GIVE  HIM  BATTLE 
IN  THE  WAY. 

ON  Wednesday,  the  fifteenth  day  of 
March,1  in  the  year  1541,  eight  days  having 
passed  since  the  Governor  had  been  living 
on  a  plain,  half  a  league  from  the  place 
where  he  wintered,  after  he  had  set  up  a  forge, 
and  tempered  the  swords  which  in  Chicaga 
had  been  burned,  and  already  had  made  many 
targets,  saddles,  and  lances,  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  while  it  was  still  dark, 
there  came  many  Indians,  formed  in  three 
squadrons,  each  from  a  different  direction,  to 
attack  the  camp,  when  those  wrho  watched  beat 
to  arms.  In  all  haste  he  drew  up  his  men  in 
three  squadrons  also,  and  leaving  some  for  the 
defence  of  the  camp,  he  went  out  to  meet 
them.  The  Indians  were  overthrown  and  put 
to  flight.  The  ground  was  plain,  and  in  a 
condition  advantageous  to  the  Christians.  It 
was  now  daybreak;  and  but  for  some  disorder, 
thirty  or  forty  more  enemies  might  have  been 

xThe   fifteenth  of  March  was  Tuesday  in   1541. 
It  was  on  Tuesday,  March  fifteenth,  that  this  attack 
occurred.     Cf.  Ranjel,  Vol.  II.  p.  135.      (B.) 
107 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

slain.  It  was  caused  by  a  friar  raising  great 
shouts  in  the  camp,  without  any  reason,  cry 
ing,  "  To  the  camp !  To  the  camp !  "  In 
consequence  the  Governor  and  the  rest  went 
thither,  and  the  Indians  had  time  to  get  away 
in  safety. 

From  some  prisoners  taken,  the  Governor 
informed  himself  of  the  region  in  advance. 
On  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  April  he  left 
Chicaga  and  went  to  sleep  at  a  small  town 
called  Alimamu.  Very  little  maize  was 
found ;  and  as  it  became  necessary  to  attempt 
thence  to  pass  a  desert,  seven  days'  journey 
in  extent,  the  next  day  the  Governor  ordered 
that  three  captains,  each  with  cavalry  and  foot, 
should  take  a  different  direction,  to  get  pro 
vision  for  the  way.  Juan  de  Afiasco,  the 
Comptroller,  went  with  fifteen  horse  and 
forty  foot  on  the  course  the  Governor  would 
have  to  march,  and  found  a  staked  fort  where 
the  Indians  were  awaiting  them.  Many  were 
armed,  walking  upon  it,  with  their  bodies, 
legs,  and  arms  painted  and  ochred,  red,  black, 
white,  yellow,  and  vermilion  in  stripes,  so 
that  they  appeared  to  have  on  stockings  and 
doublet.  Some  wore  feathers,  and  others 
horns  on  the  head,  the  face  blackened,  and 
the  eyes  encircled  with  vermilion,  to  heighten 
their  fierce  aspect.  So  soon  as  they  saw  the 
Christians  draw  nigh  they  beat  drums,  and, 


A  FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

with  loud  yells,  in  great  fury  came  forth  to 
meet  them.  As  to  Juan  de  Anasco  and  others 
it  appeared  well  to  avoid  them,  and  to  in 
form  the  Governor,  they  retired,  over  an 
even  ground  in  sight,  the  distance  of  a  cross 
bow-shot  from  the  enclosure,  the  footmen,  the 
crossbow-men,  and  targeteers  putting  them 
selves  before  those  on  horseback,  that  the 
beasts  might  not  be  wounded  by  the  Indians, 
who  came  forth  by  sevens  and  eights  to  dis 
charge  their  bows  at  them  and  retire.  In 
sight  of  the  Christians  they  made  a  fire,  and, 
taking  an  Indian  by  the  head  and  feet,  pre 
tended  to  give  him  many  blows  on  the  head 
and  cast  him  into  the  flames,  signifying  in  this 
way  what  they  would  do  with  the  Christians. 
A  message  being  sent  with  three  of  the 
cavalry  to  the  Governor,  informing  him  of 
this,  he  came  directly.  It  was  his  opinion  that 
they  should  be  driven  from  the  place.  He 
said  that  if  this  was  not  done  they  would  be 
emboldened  to  make  an  attack  at  some  other 
time,  when  they  might  do  him  more  harm: 
those  on  horseback  were  commanded  to  dis 
mount,  and,  being  set  in  four  squadrons,  at 
the  signal  charged  the  Indians.  They  resisted 
until  the  Christians  came  up  to  the  stakes; 
then,  seeing  that  they  could  not  defend  them 
selves,  they  fled  through  that  part  near  which 
passed  a  stream,  sending  back  some  arrows 
109 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

from  the  other  bank;  and  because,  at  the 
moment,  no  place  was  found  where  the  horses 
might  ford,  they  had  time  to  make  their  es 
cape.  Three  Indians  wrere  killed  and  many 
Christians  wrounded,  of  whom,  after  a  few 
days,  fifteen  died  on  the  march.  Every  one 
thought  the  Governor  committed  a  great  fault 
in  not  sending  to  examine  the  state  of  the 
ground  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  discover 
the  crossing-place  before  making  the  attack; 
because,  with  the  hope  the  Indians  had  of 
escaping  unseen  in  that  direction,  they  fought 
until  they  were  broken;  and  it  was  the  cause 
of  their  holding  out  so  long  to  assail  the 
Christians,  as  they  could,  with  safety  to 
themselves. 

CHAPTER    XXII 

How  THE   GOVERNOR  WENT  FROM    QUIZQUIZ,   AND 

THENCE    TO    THE    RlVER    GRANDE. 

THREE  days  having  gone  by  since  some 
maize  had  been  sought  after,  and  but  little 
found  in  comparison  with  the  great  want 
there  was  of  it,  the  Governor  became  obliged 
to  move  at  once,  nothwithstanding  the 
wounded  had  need  of  repose,  to  where  there 
should  be  abundance.  He  accordingly  set  out 
for  Quizquiz,  and  marched  seven  days  through 
a  wilderness,  having  many  pondy  places,  with 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

thick  forests,  fordable,  however,  on  horseback, 
all  to  some  basins  or  lakes  that  were  swum.1 
He  arrived  at  a  town  of  Quizquiz  without 
being  descried,  and  seized  all  the  people  before 
they  could  come  out  of  their  houses.  Among 
them  was  the  mother  of  the  Cacique;  and  the 
Governor  sent  wrord  to  him,  by  one  of  the 
captives,  to  come  and  receive  her,  with  the 
rest  he  had  taken.  The  answer  he  returned 
was,  that  if  his  lordship  would  order  them  to 
be  loosed  and  sent,  he  would  come  to  visit 
and  do  him  service. 

The  Governor,  since  his  men  arrived  weary, 
and  likewise  weak,  for  want  of  maize,  and  the 
horses  were  also  lean,  determined  to  yield 
to  the  requirement  and  try  to  have  peace;  so 
the  mother  and  the  rest  were  ordered  to  be 
set  free,  and  with  words  of  kindness  were  dis 
missed.  The  next  day,  while  he  was  hoping 
to  see  the  Chief,  many  Indians  came,  with 
bows  and  arrows,  to  set  upon  the  Christians, 
when  he  commanded  that  all  the  armed  horse 
men  should  be  mounted  and  in  readiness. 
Finding  them  prepared,  the  Indians  stopped 
at  the  distance  of  a  crossbow-shot  from  where 
the  Governor  was,  near  a  river-bank,  where, 
after  remaining  quietly  half  an  hour,  six  chiefs 
arrived  at  the  camp,  stating  that  they  had 

1  This   clause    should    read,    "  all    passable,    how 
ever,  on  horseback,  except  some  basins,"  etc.     (B.) 
in 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

come  to  find  out  what  people  it  might  be ;  for 
that  they  had  knowledge  from  their  ancestors 
that  they  were  to  be  subdued  by  a  white  race ; 
they  consequently  desired  to  return  to  the 
Cacique,  to  tell  him  that  he  should  come 
presently  to  obey  and  serve  the  Governor. 
After  presenting  six  or  seven  skins  and  shawls 
brought  with  them,  they  took  their  leave,  and 
returned  with  the  others  who  were  waiting 
for  them  by  the  shore.  The  Cacique  came 
not,  nor  sent  another  message. 

There  was  little  maize  in  the  place,  and 
the  Governor  moved  to  another  town,  half  a 
league  from  the  great  river,2  where  it  was 
found  in  sufficiency.  He  went  to  look  at  the 
river,  and  saw  that  near  it  there  was  much 
timber  of  which  piraguas  might  be  made,  and 
a  good  situation  in  which  the  camp  might  be 
placed.  He  directly  moved,  built  houses,  and 
settled  on  a  plain  a  crossbow-shot  from  the 
water,  bringing  together  there  all  the  maize 
of  the  towns  behind,  that  at  once  they  might 
go  to  work  and  cut  down  trees  for  sawing  out 
planks  to  build  barges.  The  Indians  soon 
came  from  up  the  stream,  jumped  on  shore,  and 
told  the  Governor  that  they  were  the  vassals 
of  a  great  lord,  named  Aquixo,  who  was  the 
suzerain  of  many  towns  and  people  on  the 
other  shore;  and  they  made  known  from  him, 

3  The  Mississippi.      (B.) 

112 


A   FIDALGQ   OF   ELVAS 

that  he  would  come  the  day  after,  with  all 
his  people,  to  hear  what  his  lordship  would 
command  him. 

The  next  day  the  Cacique  arrived,  with  two 
hundred  canoes  filled  with  men,  having 
weapons.  They  were  painted  with  ochre, 
wearing  great  bunches  of  white  and  other 
plumes  of  many  colours,  having  feathered 
shields  in  their  hands,  with  which  they  shel 
tered  the  oarsmen  on  either  side,  the  warriors 
standing  erect  from  bow  to  stern,  holding  bows 
and  arrows.  The  barge  in  which  the  Cacique 
came  had  an  awning  at  the  poop,  under  which 
he  sate;  and  the  like  had  the  barges  of  the 
other  chiefs:  and  there,  from  under  the 
canopy,  where  the  chief  man  was,  the  course 
was  directed  and  orders  issued  to  the  rest. 
All  came  down  together,  and  arrived  within 
a  stone's  cast  of  the  ravine,  whence  the 
Cacique  said  to  the  Governor,  who  was  walk 
ing  along  the  river-bank,  with  others  who 
bore  him  company,  that  he  had  come  to  visit, 
serve,  and  obey  him ;  for  he  had  heard  that 
he  was  the  greatest  of  lords,  the  most  power 
ful  on  all  the  earth,  and  that  he  must  see 
what  he  would  have  him  do.  The  Governor 
expressed  his  pleasure,  and  besought  him  to 
land,  that  they  might  the  better  confer; 
but  the  Chief  gave  no  reply,  ordering  three 
barges  to  draw  near,  wherein  was  great  quan- 

"3 


NARRATIVES   OP   DE   SOTO 

tity  of  fish,  and  loaves  like  bricks,  made  of 
the  pulp  of  ameixas,  which  Soto  receiving, 
gave  him  thanks  and  again  entreated  him  to 
land. 

Making  the  gift  had  been  a  pretext,  to  dis 
cover  if  any  harm  might  be  done;  but,  finding 
the  Governor  and  his  people  on  their  guard, 
the  Cacique  began  to  draw  off  from  the  shore, 
when  the  crossbow-men  \vho  were  in  readiness, 
with  loud  cries  shot  at  the  Indians,  and  struck 
down  five  or  six  of  them.  They  retired  with 
great  order,  not  one  leaving  the  oar,  even 
though  the  one  next  to  him  might  have  fallen, 
and  covering  themselves,  they  withdrew.  Af 
terwards  they  came  many  times  and  landed ; 
when  approached,  they  would  go  back  to  their 
barges.  These  were  fine-looking  men,  very 
large  and  well  formed ;  and  what  with  the 
awnings,  the  plumes,  and  the  shields,  the 
pennons,  and  the  number  of  people  in  the 
fleet,  it  appeared  like  a  famous  armada  of 
galleys. 

During  the  thirty  days  that  were  passed 
there,  four  piraguas  were  built,  into  three 
of  which,  one  morning,  three  hours  be 
fore  daybreak,  the  Governor  ordered  twelve 
cavalry  to  enter,  four  in  each,  men  in  whom  he 
had  confidence  that  they  would  gain  the  land, 
notwithstanding  the  Indians,  and  secure  the 
passage,  or  die:  he  also  sent  some  crossbow- 
114 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

men  of  foot  with  them,  and  in  the  other 
piragua,  oarsmen,  to  take  them  to  the  opposite 
shore.  He  ordered  Juan  de  Guzman  to  cross 
with  the  infantry,  of  which  he  had  remained 
Captain  in  the  place  of  Francisco  Maldonado; 
and  because  the  current  was  stiff,  they  went  up 
along  the  side  of  the  river  a  quarter  of  a 
league,  and  in  passing  over  they  were  carried 
down,  so  as  to  land  opposite  the  camp;  but, 
before  arriving  there,  at  twice  the  distance  of 
a  stone's  cast,  the  horsemen  rode  out  from  the 
piraguas  to  an  open  area  of  hard  and  even 
ground,  where  they  all  reached  without 
accident. 

So  soon  as  they  had  come  to  shore  the 
piraguas  returned;  and  when  the  sun  was  up 
two  hours  high,  the  people  had  all  got  over. 
The  distance  was  near  half  a  league:  a  man 
standing  on  the  shore  could  not  be  told, 
whether  he  were  a  man  or  something  else, 
from  the  other  side.  The  stream  was  swift, 
and  very  deep ;  the  water,  always  flowing 
turbidly,  brought  along  from  above  many 
trees  and  much  timber,  driven  onward  by 
its  force.  There  were  many  fish  of  several 
sorts,  the  greater  part  differing  from  those 
of  the  fresh  waters  cf  Spain,  as  will  be  told 
hereafter. 


"5 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

CHAPTER    XXIII 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  WENT  FROM  AQUIXO  TO  CASQUI, 

AND  THENCE  TO  PACAHA ;     AND  HOW  THIS   COUN 
TRY  DIFFERS  FROM  THE  OTHER. 

THE  Rio  Grande  being  crossed,  the  Gov 
ernor  marched  a  league  and  a  half,  to  a  large 
town  of  Aquixo,  which  was  abandoned  before 
his  arrival.  Over  a  plain  thirty  Indians  were 
seen  to  draw  nigh,  sent  by  the  Cacique,  to 
discover  what  the  Christians  intended  to  do, 
but  who  fled  directly  as  they  saw  them.  The 
cavalry  pursued,  killed  ten,  and  captured 
fifteen.  As  the  town  toward  which  the  Gov 
ernor  marched  was  near  the  river,  he  sent  a 
captain,  with  the  force  he  thought  sufficient, 
to  take  the  piraguas  up  the  stream.  These,  as 
they  frequently  wound  about  through  the 
country,  having  to  go  round  the  bays  that 
swell  out  of  the  river,  the  Indians  had  oppor 
tunity  to  attack  those  in  the  piraguas,  placing 
them  in  great  peril,  being  shot  at  with  bows 
from  the  ravines,  while  they  dared  not  leave 
the  shore,  because  of  the  swiftness  of  the  cur 
rent;  so  that,  as  soon  as  the  Governor  got  to 
the  town,  he  directly  sent  crossbow-men  to 
them  down  the  stream,  for  their  protection. 
When  the  piraguas  arrived,  he  ordered  them 
to  be  taken  to  pieces,  and  the  spikes  kept 
116 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

for  making  others,  when  they  should  be 
needed. 

The  Governor  slept  at  the  town  one  night, 
and  the  day  following  he  went  in  quest  of  a 
province  called  Pacaha,  which  he  had  been  in 
formed  was  nigh  Chisca,  where  the  Indians 
said  there  was  gold.  He  passed  through  large 
towns  in  Aquixo,  which  the  people  had  left 
for  fear  of  the  Christians.  From  some  Indians 
that  were  taken,  he  heard  that  three  days' 
journey  thence  resided  a  great  Cacique,  called 
Casqui.  He  came  to  a  small  river,  over  which 
a  bridge  was  made,  whereby  he  crossed.  All 
that  day,  until  sunset,  he  marched  through 
water,  in  places  coming  to  the  knees ;  in  others, 
as  high  as  the  waist.  They  were  greatly  re 
joiced  on  reaching  the  dry  land ;  because  it 
had  appeared  to  them  that  they  should  travel 
about,  lost,  all  night  in  the  water.  At  mid 
day  they  came  to  the  first  town  of  Casqui, 
where  they  found  the  Indians  off  their  guard, 
never  having  heard  of  them.  Many  men  and 
women  were  taken,  much  clothing,  blankets, 
and  skins;  such  they  likewise  took  in  an 
other  town  in  sight  of  the  first,  half  a  league 
off  in  the  field,  whither  the  horsemen  had 
run. 

This  land  is  higher,  drier,  and  more  level 
than  any  other  along  the  river  that  had  been 
seen  until  then.  In  the  fields  were  many  wal- 

"7 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

nut-trees,  bearing  tender-shelled  nuts  in  the 
shape  of  acorns,  many  being  found  stored  in 
the  houses.  The  tree  did  not  differ  in  any 
thing  from  that  of  Spain,  nor  from  the  one 
seen  before,  except  the  leaf  was  smaller.  There 
were  many  mulberry-trees,  and  trees  of 
ameixaSj  having  fruit  of  vermilion  hue,  like 
one  of  Spain,  while  others  were  gray,  differ 
ing,  but  far  better.  All  the  trees,  the  year 
round,  were  as  green  as  if  they  stood  in 
orchards,  and  the  woods  were  open. 

The  Governor  marched  two  days  through 
the  country  of  Casqui,  before  coming  to  the 
town  where  the  Cacique  was,  the  greater  part 
of  the  way  lying  through  fields  thickly  set 
with  great  towns,  two  or  three  of  them  to  be 
seen  from  one.  He  sent  word  by  an  Indian 
to  the  Cacique,  that  he  was  coming  to  obtain 
his  friendship  and  to  consider  him  as  a 
brother;  to  which  he  received  for  answer,  that 
he  would  be  welcomed ;  that  he  would  be  re 
ceived  with  special  good-will,  and  all  that  his 
lordship  required  of  him  should  be  done;  and 
the  Chief  sent  him  on  the  road  a  present  of 
skins,  shawls,  and  fish.  After  these  gifts 
were  made,  all  the  towns  into  which  the  Gov 
ernor  came  were  found  occupied ;  and  the 
inhabitants  awaited  him  in  peace,  offering  him 
skins,  shawls,  and  fish. 

Accompanied  by  many  persons,  the  Cacique 
1x8 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

came  half  a  league  on  the  road  from  the  town 
where  he  dwelt  to  receive  the  Governor,  and, 
drawing  nigh  to  him,  thus  spoke: 

VERY  HIGH,  POWERFUL,  AND  RENOWNED  MASTER: 

I  greet  your  coming.  So  soon  as  I  had  notice  of 
you,  your  power  and  perfections,  although  you 
entered  my  territory  capturing  and  killing  the 
dwellers  upon  it,  who  are  my  vassals,  I  determined 
to  conform  my  wishes  to  your  will,  and  hold  as 
right  all  that  you  might  do,  believing  that  it  should 
be  so  for  a  good  reason,  providing  against  some 
future  event,  to  you  perceptible  but  from  me  con 
cealed;  since  an  evil  may  well  be  permitted  to 
avoid  another  greater,  that  good  can  arise,  which  I 
trust  will  be  so;  for  from  so  excellent  a  prince,  no 
bad  motive  is  to  be  suspected.  My  ability  is  so  small 
to  serve  you,  according  to  your  great  merit,  that 
though  you  should  consider  even  my  abundant  will 
and  humility  in  proffering  you  all  manner  of  serv 
ices,  I  must  still  deserve  little  in  your  sight.  If  this 
ability  can  with  reason  be  valued,  I  pray  you  receive 
it,  and  with  it  my  country  and  my  vassals,  of  me  and 
them  disposing  at  your  pleasure;  for  though  you 
were  lord  of  the  earth,  with  no  more  good-will 
would  you  be  received,  served,  and  obeyed. 

The  Governor  responded  appropriately  in 
a  few  words  which  satisfied  the  Chief. 
Directly  they  fell  to  making  each  other  great 
proffers,  using  much  courtesy,  the  Cacique 
inviting  the  Governor  to  go  and  take  lodging 
in  his  houses.  He  excused  himself,  the  better 
to  preserve  peace,  saying  that  he  wished  to 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

lie  in  the  field;  and,  because  the  heat  was 
excessive,  he  pitched  the  camp  among  some 
trees,  quarter  of  a  league  from  the  town.  The 
Cacique  went  to  his  town,  and  returned  with 
many  Indians  singing,  who,  when  they  had 
come  to  where  the  Governor  was,  all  pros 
trated  themselves.  Among  them  were  twro 
blind  men.  The  Cacique  made  an  address,  of 
which,  as  it  was  long,  I  will  give  the  sub 
stance  in  a  few  words.  He  said,  that  inas 
much  as  the  Governor  was  son  of  the  Sun, 
he  begged  him  to  restore  sight  to  those  In 
dians:  wrhereupon  the  blind  men  arose,  and 
they  very  earnestly  entreated  him  to  do  so. 
Soto  answered  them,  that  in  the  heavens  above 
there  was  One  who  had  the  power  to  make 
them  whole,  and  do  whatever  they  could  ask 
of  Him,  whose  servant  he  was;  that  this 
great  Lord  made  the  sky  and  the  earth,  and 
man  after  His  image ;  that  He  had  suffered  on 
the  tree  of  the  true  cross  to  save  the  human 
race,  and  risen  from  the  grave  on  the  third 
day, — what  of  man  there  was  of  Him  dying, 
what  of  divinity  being  immortal ;  and  that, 
having  ascended  into  heaven,  He  was  there 
with  open  arms  to  receive  all  that  would  be 
converted  to  Him.  He  then  directed  a  lofty 
cross  of  wrood  to  be  made  and  set  up  in  the 
highest  part  of  the  town,  declaring  to  the 
Cacique  that  the  Christians  worshipped  that, 
120 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

in  the  form  and  memory  of  the  one  on  which 
Christ  suffered.  He  placed  himself  with  his 
people  before  it,  on  their  knees,  which  the 
Indians  did  likewise;  and  he  told  them  that 
from  that  time  thenceforth  they  should  thus 
worship  the  Lord,  of  whom  he  had  spoken  to 
them,  that  was  in  the  skies,  asking  Him  for 
whatsoever  they  stood  in  need. 

The  Chief  being  asked  what  was  the  dis 
tance  to  Pacaha,  he  answered  that  it  was  one 
day's  journey,  and  said  that  on  the  extreme  of 
his  territory  there  was  a  lake,  like  an  estuary, 
that  entered  into  the  Rio  Grande,  to  which 
he  would  send  persons  in  advance  to  build  a 
bridge,  whereby  they  might  pass  over  it.  The 
night  of  the  day  the  Governor  left,  he  slept 
at  a  town  of  Casqui ;  and  the  next  day  he 
passed  in  sight  of  two  other  towns,  and 
arrived  at  the  lake,  which  was  half  a  cross 
bow-shot  over,  of  great  depth  and  swiftness 
of  current.  The  Indians  had  just  got  done 
the  bridge  as  he  came  up.  It  was  built  of 
wood,  in  the  manner  of  timber  thrown  across 
from  tree  to  tree;  on  one  side  there  being  a 
rail  of  poles,  higher  than  the  rest,  as  a  support 
for  those  who  should  pass.  The  Cacique  of 
Casqui  having  come  with  his  people,  the  Gov 
ernor  sent  word  by  an  Indian  to  the  Cacique 
of  Pacaha,  that  though  he  might  be  at  enmity 
with  him  of  Casqui,  and  that  Chief  be  present, 

121 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

he  should  receive  neither  injury  nor  insult, 
provided  that  he  attended  in  peace  and  de 
sired  his  friendship,  for  as  a  brother  would  he 
treat  him.  The  Indian  went  as  he  was  bid, 
and  returned,  stating  that  the  Cacique  took 
no  notice  of  the  message,  but  that  he  fled  out 
of  the  town,  from  the  back  part,  with  all  his 
people.  Then  the  Governor  entered  there, 
and  with  the  cavalry  charged  in  the  direction 
the  Indians  were  running,  and  at  another 
town,  a  quarter  of  a  league  off,  many  were 
taken.  As  fast  as  they  were  captured,  the 
horsemen  delivered  them  to  the  Indians  of 
Casqui,  who,  from  being  their  enemies, 
brought  them  with  great  heed  and  pleasure 
to  the  town  where  the  Christians  were,  greatly 
regretting  that  they  had  not  the  liberty  to 
kill  them.  Many  shawls,  deer-skins,  lion  and 
bear-skins,  and  many  cat-skins  were  found  in 
the  town.  Numbers  wrho  had  been  a  long 
time  badly  covered,  there  clothed  themselves. 
Of  the  shawls  they  made  mantles  and  cas 
socks;  some  made  gowns  and  lined  them  with 
cat-skins,  as  they  also  did  the  cassocks.  Of 
the  deer-skins  were  made  jerkins,  shirts,  stock 
ings,  and  shoes;  and  from  the  bear-skins  they 
made  very  good  cloaks,  such  as  no  water  could 
get  through.  They  found  shields  of  raw 
cow-hide  out  of  which  armour  was  made  for 
the  horses. 

123 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 


CHAPTER    XXIIII 

OF  HOW  THE  CACIQUE  OF  PACAHA  CAME  IN  PEACE, 
AND  HE  OF  CASQUI,  HAVING  ABSENTED  HIMSELF, 
RETURNED  TO  EXCUSE  HIS  CONDUCT;  AND  HOW 
THE  GOVERNOR  MADE  FRIENDSHIP  BETWEEN  THE 
CHIEFS. 

ON  Wednesday,  the  nineteenth  day1  of 
June,  the  Governor  entered  Pacaha,  and  took 
quarters  in  the  town  where  the  Cacique  was 
accustomed  to  reside.  It  wTas  enclosed  and 
very  large.  In  the  towers  and  the  palisade 
were  many  loopholes.  There  was  much  dry 
maize,  and  the  new  was  in  great  quantity, 
throughout  the  fields.  At  the  distance  of  half 
a  league  to  a  league  off  were  large  towns,  all 
of  them  surrounded  with  stockades. 

Where  the  Governor  stayed  was  a  great 
lake,  near  to  the  enclosure;  and  the  water 
entered  a  ditch  that  well-nigh  went  round  the 
town.  From  the  River  Grande  to  the  lake 
was  a  canal,  through  which  the  fish  came  into 
it,  and  w^here  the  Chief  kept  them  for  his 
eating  and  pastime.  With  nets  that  were 
found  in  the  place,  as  many  were  taken  as 

1  The  nineteenth  of  June,  in  1541,  was  Sunday. 
It  should  be  Wednesday,  the  twenty-ninth.  Cf. 
Ranjel,  Vol.  II.  p.  139.  Probably  in  the  orig 
inal  publication  of  the  text  XIX.  was  printed  in 
stead  of  XXIX.  (B.) 

123 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

need  required;  and  however  much  might  be 
the  casting,  there  was  never  any  lack  of  them. 
In  the  many  other  lakes  about  were  also  many 
fish,  though  the  flesh  was  soft,  and  none  of  it 
so  good  as  that  which  came  from  the  river. 
The  greater  number  differ  from  those  in  the 
fresh  water  of  Spain.  There  was  a  fish  called 
bagre,  the  third  part  of  which  was  head,  with 
gills  from  end  to  end,  and  along  the  sides 
were  great  spines,  like  very  sharp  awls.  Those 
of  this  sort  that  lived  in  the  lake  were  as  big 
as  pike;  in  the  river  were  some  that  weighed 
from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds.  Many  were  taken  with  the  hook. 
There  was  one  in  the  shape  of  barbel ;  another 
like  bream,  with  the  head  of  a  hake,  having  a 
colour  between  red  and  brown,  and  was  the 
most  esteemed.  There  was  likewise  a  kind 
called  peel-fish,  the  snout  a  cubit  in  length, 
the  upper  lip  being  shaped-  like  a  shovel.  An 
other  fish  was  like  a  shad.  Except  the  bagres 
and  the  peel,  they  were  all  of  scale.  There 
was  one,  called  pereo,  the  Indians  sometimes 
brought,  the  size  of  a  hog,  and  had  rows  of 
teeth  above  and  below. 

The  Cacique  of  Casqui  many  times  sent 
large  presents  of  fish,  shawls,  and  skins.  Hav 
ing  told  the  Governor  that  he  would  deliver 
into  his  hands  the  Cacique  of  Pacaha,  he  went 
to  Casqui,  and  ordered  many  canoes  to  ascend 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

the  river,  while  he  should  march  by  land,  tak 
ing  many  of  his  warriors.  The  Governor, 
with  forty  cavalry  and  sixty  infantry,  was 
conducted  by  him  up  stream;  and  the  Indians 
who  were  in  the  canoes  discovered  the  Ca 
cique  of  Pacaha  on  an  islet  between  two  arms 
of  the  river.  Five  Christians  entered  a  canoe, 
of  whom  was  Don  Antonio  Osorio,  to  go  in 
advance  and  see  what  number  of  people  the 
Cacique  had  with  him.  There  were  five  or 
six  thousand  souls,  who,  directly  as  they  saw 
the  people,  taking  the  Indians  who  went  in 
the  canoes  to  be  Christians  also,  the  Cacique, 
and  as  many  as  could  get  into  three  canoes 
that  were  there,  fled  to  the  opposite  bank; 
the  greater  part  of  the  rest,  in  terror  and  con 
fusion,  plunging  into  the  river  to  swim,  many, 
mostly  women  and  infants,  got  drowned.. 
Then  the  Governor, who  was  on  land, without 
knowing  what  was  passing  with  Don  An 
tonio  and  those  who  accompanied  him,  ordered 
the  Christians,  in  all  haste,  to  enter  the  canoes 
with  the  Indians  of  Casqui,  and  they  directly 
joining  Don  Antonio  on  the  islet,  many  men 
and  women  were  taken,  and  much  clothing. 

Many  clothes,  which  the  Indians  had  in 
cane  hurdles  and  on  rafts  to  carry  over, 
floated  down  stream,  the  people  of  Casqui 
filling  their  canoes  with  them;  and,  in  fear 
that  the  Christians  might  take  these  away, 
125 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

their  Chief  went  off  with  them  down  the 
river  to  his  territory,  without  taking  leave. 
At  this  the  Governor  became  indignant,  and 
directly  returning  to  Pacaha,  two  leagues  on 
the  road,  he  overran  the  country  of  Casqui, 
capturing  twenty  or  thirty  of  its  men.  The 
horses  being  tired,  and  there  remaining  no 
time  that  day  to  go  farther,  he  went  on  to 
Pacaha,  with  the  intention  of  marching  in 
three  or  four  days  upon  Casqui,  directly  let 
ting  loose  a  man  of  Pacaha,  sending  word  by 
him  to  its  Chief,  that  should  he  desire  his 
friendship  to  come  to  him,  and  together  they 
would  go  to  carry  war  upon  Casqui:  and 
immediately  there  arrived  many  people  of 
Pacaha,  bringing  as  the  chief  an  Indian,  who 
was  exposed  by  a  prisoner,  brother  of  the 
Cacique.  The  Governor  told  them  that  their 
lord  must  come ;  that  he  well  knew  that  Indian 
was  not  he;  for  that  nothing  could  be  done 
without  its  being  known  to  him  before  they 
so  much  as  thought  of  it.  The  Cacique  came 
the  next  day,  followed  by  many  Indians,  with 
a  large  gift  of  fish,  skins,  and  shawls.  He 
made  a  speech,  that  all  were  glad  to  hear, 
and  concluded  by  saying,  that  although  his 
lordship  had  causelessly  inflicted  injury  on  his 
country  and  his  subjects,  he  did  not  any  the 
less  cease  to  be  his,  and  was  always  at  his  com 
mand.  The  Governor  ordered  his  brother  to 
126 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

be  let  go,  and  some  principal  men  he  held 
captives.  That  day  a  messenger  arrived  from 
Casqui,  saying  that  his  master  would  come 
early  on  the  morrow  to  excuse  the  error  he 
had  committed  in  going  away  without  his 
license;  to  which  the  Governor  bade  him  say, 
in  return,  to  the  Cacique,  that  if  he  did  not 
come  himself  in  person  he  would  go  after 
him,  and  inflict  the  punishment  he  deserved. 
The  Chief  of  Casqui  carae  the  next  day, 
and  after  presenting  many  shawls,  skins,  and 
fish,  he  gave  the  Governor  a  daughter,  saying 
that  his  greatest  desire  was  to  unite  his  blood 
with  that  of  so  great  a  lord  as  he  was,  beg 
ging  that  he  would  take  her  to  wife.  He 
made  a  long  and  discreet  oration,  full  of  praise 
of  Soto;  and  concluded  by  asking  his  forgive 
ness,  for  the  love  of  that  cross  he  had  left, 
for  having  gone  off  without  his  permission ; 
that  he  had  done  so  because  of  the  shame 
he  felt  for  what  his  people  had  done  without 
his  consent.  The  Governor  said  that  he  had 
taken  a  good  sponsor;  that  he  had  himself 
determined,  if  the  Cacique  had  not  come  to 
apologize,  to  go  after  him  and  burn  his  towns, 
kill  him  and  his  people,  and  lay  waste  his 
country.  To  this  the  Chief  replied: 

MASTER  : 

I  and  mine  belong  to  you ;    and  my  territory  is 
yours,   so  that  you   will   destroy  it,   if  you   will,   as 
127 


NARRATIVES   OF  DE   SOTO 

your  own,  and  your  people  you  will  slay.  All  that 
falls  from  your  hand  I  shall  receive  as  from  my 
lord's,  and  as  merited  chastisement.  Know,  that  the 
service  you  have  done  me  in  leaving  that  cross  has 
been  signal,  and  more  than  I  have  deserved ;  for, 
you  know,  of  great  droughts  the  maize  in  our  fields 
was  perishing,  and  no  sooner  had  I  and  mine  thrown 
ourselves  on  our  knees  before  it,  asking  for  water, 
than  the  want  was  supplied. 

The  Governor  made  friendship  between  the 
Chiefs  of  Casqui  and  Pacaha,  and  placed  them 
at  the  table,  that  they  should  eat  with  him. 
They  had  a  difficulty  as  to  who  should  sit  at 
his  right  hand,  which  the  Governor  quieted  by 
telling  them  that  among  the  Christians  the  one 
seat  was  as  good  as  the  other;  that  they 
should  so  consider  it,  and  while  with  him  no 
one  should  understand  otherwise,  each  taking 
the  seat  he  first  came  to.  Thence  he  sent 
thirty  horsemen  and  fifty  footmen  to  the 
Province  of  Caluga,  to  see  if  in  that  direction 
they  could  turn  back  towards  Chisca,  where 
the  Indians  said  there  was  a  foundry  of  gold 
and  copper.  They  travelled  seven  days 
through  desert,  and  returned  in  great  extrem 
ity,  eating  green  ameixas  and  maize-stalks, 
which  they  had  found  in  a  poor  town  of  seven 
or  eight  houses.  The  Indians  stated  that 
thence  towards  the  north,  the  country,  being 
very  cold,  was  very  thinly  populated ;  that 
cattle  were  in  such  plenty,  no  maize-field 
128 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

could  be  protected  from  them,  and  the  inhabi 
tants  lived  upon  the  meat.  Seeing  that  the 
country  was  so  poor  off  for  maize  that  there 
could  be  no  support,  the  Governor  asked  the 
Indians  in  what  direction  there  were  most 
inhabitants;  and  they  said  that  they  had 
knowledawpf  a  large  province  and  a  country 
of  great  abundance,  called  Quiguate,  that  lay 
in  the  so^tnern  direction. 

CHAPTER    XXV 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  WENT  FROM  PACAHA  TO  AQUI- 

GUATE  AND  TO  COLIGOA,  AND  CAME  TO  CAYAS. 

THE  Governor  rested  in  Pacaha  forty  days, 
during  which  time  the  two  Caciques  made  him 
presents  of  fish,  shawls,  and  skins,  in  great 
quantity,  each  striving  to  outdo  the  other  in 
the  magnitude  of  the  gifts.  At  the  time  of 
his  departure,  the  Chief  of  Pacaha  bestowed 
on  him  two  of  his  sisters,  telling  him  that  they 
were  tokens  of  love,  for  his  remembrance,  to 
be  his  wives.  The  name  of  one  was  Ma- 
canoche,  that  of  the  other  Mochila.  They 
were  symmetrical,  tall,  and  full :  Macanoche 
bore  a  pleasant  expression ;  in  her  manners  and 
features  appeared  the  lady;  the  other  was  ro 
bust.  The  Cacique  of  Casqui  ordered  the 
bridge  to  be  repaired;  and  the  Governor,  re 
turning  through  his  territory,  lodged  in  the 
129 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

field  near  his  town.  He  brought  there  much 
fish,  exchanged  two  women  for  as  many  shirts 
with  two  of  the  Christians,  and  furnished  a 
guide  and  tamemes.  The  Governor  marched 
to  one  of  his  towns,  and  slept,  and  the  next 
night  came  to  another  that  was  near  a  river, 
where  he  ordered  him  to  bring  can^fc,  that  he 
might  cross  over.  There  takin^Bis  leave, 
the  Chief  went  back. 

The  Governor  travelled  towards  Aquiguate, 
and  on  the  fourth  day  of  August  came  to  the 
residence  of  the  Cacique,  who,  although  he 
had  sent  him  a  present,  on  the  road,  of  many 
shawls  and  skins,  abandoned  the  place  through 
fear  on  his  arrival.  That  town  was  the 
largest  seen  in  Florida:  one-half  of  it  was 
occupied  by  the  Governor  and  his  people;  and, 
after  a  few  days,  discovering  that  the  Indians 
wrere  dealing  in  falsehoods,  he  ordered  the 
other  part  to  be  burned,  that  it  might  not 
afford  them  cover  should  they  attack  him  at 
night,  nor  be  an  embarrassment  to  his  cavalry 
in  a  movement  to  repel  them.  An  Indian 
having  come,  attended  by  a  multitude,  declar 
ing  himself  to  be  the  Cacique,  the  Governor 
delivered  him  over  to  be  looked  after  by  his 
body-guard.  Many  of  the  Indians  went  off, 
and  returned  with  shawls  and  skins ;  but,  find 
ing  small  opportunity  for  carrying  out  their 
evil  plan,  one  day  the  pretended  Cacique, 
130 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

walking  out  of  the  house  with  the  Governor, 
ran  away  writh  such  swiftness  that  not  one  of 
the  Christians  could  overtake  him ;  and  plung 
ing  into  the  river,  at  the  distance  of  a  cross 
bow-shot  from  the  town,  he  made  for  the 
other  shore,  where  many  Indians,  giving  loud 
shouts,  bejran  to  make  use  of  their  arrows. 
The  Go\^»r  directly  crossed  over  to  attack 
them  wit^Riorse  and  foot;  but  they  dared 
not  await ^nim:  following  them  up,  he  came 
to  a  town  that  was  abandoned,  before  which 
there  was  a  lake  the  horses  could  not  pass  over, 
and  on  the  other  side  were  many  females. 
The  footmen  having  crossed,  capturing  many 
of  them,  took  much  clothing.  Returning  to 
the  camp  early  in  the  night,  the  sentinels 
seized  a  spy,  who  assenting  to  the  request  to 
lead  to  where  the  Cacique  was,  the  Governor 
directly  set  out  with  twenty  cavalry  and  fifty 
infantry  in  quest  of  him.  After  travelling  a 
day  and  a  half,  they  found  him  in  a  thick 
wood ;  and  a  soldier,  ignorant  of  who  he 
was,  having  struck  him  on  the  head  with  a 
cutlass,  he  called  out  not  to  kill  him,  that  he 
was  the  Chief;  so  he  was  captured,  and  with 
him  one  hundred  and  forty  of  his  people. 

The    Governor,    returning    to    Quiguate, 

directed  him  to  tell  his  people  to  come  and 

serve  the  Christians;    but,  after  waiting  some 

days,  in  the  hope  of  their  arrival,  and  finding 

131 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

that  they  did  not  come,  he  sent  two  captains, 
each  on  an  opposite  side  of  the  river,  with 
infantry  and  cavalry,  whereby  many  of  both 
sexes  were  made  prisoners.  The  Indians, 
seeing  the  harm  that  they  received  for  their 
rebellious  conduct,  waited  on  the  Governor 
to  take  his  commands,  coming  and  going  often, 
bringing  with  them  presents  of  fish.  The 
Cacique  and  two  of  his  wives  b&irig  at  their 
liberty  in  the  quarters  of  the  Governor,  which 
were  guarded  by  his  halberdiers,  he  asked 
them  what  part  of  the  country  was  most 
inhabited;  to  which  they  replied,  that  to  the 
south,  or  down  the  river,  where  were  large 
towns,  and  the  Caciques  governed  wide  terri 
tories,  wTith  numerous  people;  and  that  to 
the  northwest  w^as  a  province,  near  some 
mountains,  called  Coligoa.  He,  with  the 
others,  deemed  it  well  to  go  thither  first ;  say 
ing  that  the  mountains,  perhaps,  would  make 
a  difference  in  the  soil,  and  that  silver  and 
gold  might  afterward  follow. 

The  country  of  Aquiguate,  like  that  of 
Casqui  and  Pacaha,  was  level  and  fertile, 
having  rich  river  margins,  on  which  the 
Indians  made  extensive  fields.  From  Tasca- 
luc.a  to  the  River  Grande  may  be  three  hun 
dred  leagues ;  a  region  very  low,  having  many 
lakes:  from  Pacha  to  Quiguate  there  may  be 
one  hundred  and  ten  leagues.  There  he  left 
132 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

the  Cacique  in  his  own  town;  and  an  Indian 
guided  them  through  an  immense  pathless 
thicket  of  desert  for  seven  days,  where  they 
slept  continually  in  ponds  and  shallow  pud 
dles.  Fish  were  so  plentiful  in  them  that  they 
were  killed  with  blows  of  cudgels ;  and  as  the 
Indians  travelled  in  chains,  they  disturbed  the 
mud  at  the  bottom,  by  which  the  fish,  becom 
ing  stupefied,  would  swim  to  the  surface,  when 
as  many  were  taken  as  were  desired. 

The  inhabitants  of  Coligoa  had  never  heard 
of  the  Christians,  and  when  these  got  so  near 
their  town  as  to  be  seen,  they  fled  up  stream 
along  a  river  that  passed  near  by  there;  some 
throwing  themselves  into  the  water,  whence 
they  were  taken  by  their  pursuers,  who,  on 
either  bank,  captured  many  of  both  sexes,  and 
the  Cacique  with  the  rest.  Three  days  from 
that  time  came  many  Indians,  by  his  order, 
with  offerings  of  shawls,  deer-skins,  and  two 
cowhides:  they  stated  that  at  the  distance  of 
five  or  six  leagues  towards  the  north  were 
many  cattle,  where  the  country,  being  cold, 
was  thinly  inhabited;  and  that,  to  the  best  of 
their  knowledge,  the  province  that  was  better 
provisioned  than  any  other,  and  more  popu 
lous,  was  one  to  the  south,  called  Cayas. 

About  forty  leagues  from  Quiguate  stood 
Coligoa,  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  in  the  vale 
of  a  river  of  medium  size,  like  the  Caya,  a 
133 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

stream  that  passes  through  Estremadura. 
The  soil  was  rich,  yielding  maize  in  such  pro 
fusion  that  the  old  was  thrown  out  of  store 
to  make  room  for  the  new  grain.  Beans  and 
pumpkins  \vere  likewise  in  great  plenty:  both 
were  larger  and  better  than  those  of  Spain : 
the  pumpkins,  wThen  roasted,  have  nearly  the 
taste  of  chestnuts.  The  Cacique  continued 
behind  in  his  own  town,  having  given  a  guide 
for  the  way  to  Cayas. 

We  travelled  five  days,  and  came  to  the 
Province  of  Palisema.  The  house  of  the 
Cacique  was  canopied  with  coloured  deer 
skins,  having  designs  drawn  on  them,  and  the 
ground  was  likewise  covered  in  the  same  man 
ner,  as  if  with  carpets.  He  had  left  it  in 
that  state  for  the  use  of  the  Governor,  a  token 
of  peace,  and  of  a  desire  for  friendship,  though 
still  he  did  not  dare  to  await  his  coming. 
The  Governor,  finding  that  he  had  gone  away, 
sent  a  captain  writh  horse  and  foot  to  look 
after  him;  and  though  many  persons  were 
seen,  because  of  the  roughness  of  the  country, 
only  a  few  men  and  boys  were  secured.  The 
houses  were  few  and  scattered:  only  a  little 
maize  was  found. 

Directly  the  Governor  set  forward  and 
came  to  Tatalicoya,  whence  he  took  the 
Cacique,  who  guided  him  to  Cayas,  a  distance 
of  fpur  days'  journey  from  that  town.  When 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

he  arrived  and  saw  the  scattered  houses,  he 
thought,  from  the  information  he  had  received 
of  the  great  populousness  of  the  country,  that 
the  Cacique  was  lying  to  him — that  it  was 
not  the  province;  and  he  menaced  him,  bid 
ding  him  tell  where  he  was.  The  Chief,  as 
likewise  the  other  Indians  taken  near  by,  de 
clared  that  to  be  in  Cayas,  the  best  town  in  all 
the  province;  and  that  although  the  houses 
were  far  apart,  the  country  occupied  being 
extensive,  it  had  numerous  people  and  many 
maize-fields.  The  town  was  called  Tanico. 
The  camp  was  placed  in  the  best  part  of  it, 
nigh  a  river.  On  the  day  of  arrival,  the 
Governor,  with  some  mounted  men,  went  a 
league  farther,  but  found  no  one,  and  only 
some  skins,  which  the  Cacique  had  put  on  the 
road  to  be  taken,  a  sign  of  peace,  by  the  usage 
of  the  country. 

CHAPTER    XXVI 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  WENT  TO  VISIT  THE  PROVINCE 

OF    TULLA,    AND    WHAT    HAPPENED    TO    HIM. 

THE  Governor  tarried  a  month  in  the 
Province  of  Cayas.  In  this  time  the  horses 
fattened  and  throve  more  than  they  had  done 
at  other  places  in  a  longer  time,  in  consequence 
of  the  large  quantity  of  maize  there.  The 
blade  of  it,  I  think,  is  the  best  fodder  that 
'35 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

grows.  The  beasts  drank  so  copiously  from 
the  very  warm  and  brackish  lake,  that  they 
came  having  their  bellies  swollen  with  the 
leaf  when  they  were  brought  back  from  water 
ing.  To  that  spot  the  Christians  had  wanted 
salt:  they  now  made  a  quantity  and  took  it 
with  them.  The  Indians  carry  it  into  other 
parts,  to  exchange  for  skins  and  shawls. 

The  salt  is  made  along  by  a  river,  which, 
when  the  water  goes  down,  leaves  it  upon  the 
sand.  As  they  cannot  gather  the  salt  without 
a  large  mixture  of  sand,  it  is  thrown  together 
into  certain  baskets  they  have  for  the  pur 
pose,  made  large  at  the  mouth  and  small  at 
the  bottom.  These  are  set  in  the  air  on  a 
ridge-pole;  and  water  being  thrown  on,  ves 
sels  are  placed  under  them  wherein  it  may 
fall;  then,  being  strained  and  placed  on  the 
fire,  it  is  boiled  away,  leaving  salt  at  the 
bottom. 

The  lands  on  the  shores  of  the  river  were 
fields,  and  maize  was  in  plenty.  The  Indians 
dared  not  cross  the  river  to  where  we  were. 
Some  appearing,  were  called  to  by  the  soldiers 
who  saw  them,  and  having  come  over  were 
conducted  by  them  before  the  Governor.  On 
being  asked  for  the  Cacique,  they  said  that 
he  was  peaceful  but  afraid  to  show  himself. 
The  Governor  directly  sent  them  back  to  tell 
him  to  come,  and,  if  he  desired  his  friendship, 
136 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

to  bring  an  interpreter  and  a  guide  for  the 
travel  before  them;  that  if  he  did  not  do  so 
he  would  go  in  pursuit,  when  it  would  be  the 
worse  for  him.  The  Governor  waited  three 
days,  and  finding  that  the  Cacique  did  not 
come,  he  went  in  pursuit  and  brought  him 
there  a  captive,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
of  his  people.  He  asked  him  if  he  had  knowl 
edge  of  any  great  cacique,  and  in  what  direc 
tion  the  country  was  most  inhabited.  The 
Indian  stated,  that  the  largest  population 
about  there  was  that  of  a  province  lying  to 
the  southward,  thence  a  day  and  a  half's 
travel,  called  Tulla;  that  he  could  give  him 
a  guide,  but  no  interpreter;  that  the  tongue 
of  that  country  was  different  from  his, 
and  that  he  and  his  ancestors  had  ever 
been  at  war  with  its  chiefs,  so  that  they  nei 
ther  conversed  together  nor  understood  each 
other. 

Then  the  Governor,  with  cavalry  and  fifty 
infantry,  directly  set  out  for  Tulla,  to  see  if 
it  were  such  a  land  as  he  might  pass  through 
with  his  troops.  So  soon  as  it  became  known 
that  he  had  reached  there,  the  inhabitants 
were  summoned ;  and  as  they  gathered  by 
fifteen  and  twenty  at  a  time,  they  would  come 
to  attack  the  Christians.  Finding  that  they 
were  sharply  handled,  and  that  in  running 
the  horses  would  overtake  them,  they  got  upon 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

the  house-tops,  where  they  endeavoured  to 
defend  themselves  with  their  bows  and  arrows. 
When  beaten  off  from  one  roof,  they  would 
get  up  on  to  another ;  and  the  Christians  while 
going  after  some,  others  would  attack  them 
from  an  opposite  direction.  The  struggle 
lasted  so  long  that  the  steeds,  becoming  tired, 
could  not  be  made  to  run.  One  horse  was 
killed  and  others  were  wounded.  Of  the 
Indians  fifteen  were  slain,  and  forty  women 
and  boys  made  prisoners;  for  to  no  one  who 
could  draw  a  bow  and  could  be  reached  was 
his  life  spared  him. 

The  Governor  determined  at  once  to  go 
back,  before  the  inhabitants  should  have  time 
to  come  together.  That  afternoon  he  set  out, 
and  travelling  into  the  night,  he  slept  on  the 
road  to  avoid  Tulla,  and  arrived  the  next  day 
at  Cayas.  Three  days  later  he  marched  to 
Tulla,  bringing  with  him  the  Cacique,  among 
whose  Indians  he  was  unable  to  find  one  who 
spoke  the  language  of  that  place.  He  was 
three  days  on  the  way,  and  at  his  arrival 
found  the  town  abandoned,  the  inhabitants 
not  venturing  to  remain  for  him.  But  no 
sooner  did  they  know  that  he  was  in  the  town, 
than,  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
first  night,  they  came  upon  him  in  two 
squadrons,  from  different  directions,  with 
bows  and  arrows  and  with  long  stares  like 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

pikes.  So  soon  as  they  were  felt,  both  cavalry 
and  infantry  turned  out.  Some  Christians 
and  some  horses  were  injured.  Many  of  the 
Indians  were  killed. 

Of  those  made  captive,  the  Governor  sent 
six  to  the  Cacique,  their  right  hands  and  their 
noses  cut  off,  with  the  message,  that,  if  he 
did  not  come  to  him  to  apologize  and  render 
obedience,  he  would  go  in  pursuit,  and  to  him, 
and  as  many  of  his  as  he  might  find,  would 
he  do  as  he  had  done  to  those  he  sent.  He 
allowed  him  three  days  in  which  to  appear, 
making  himself  understood  by  signs,  in  the 
best  manner  possible,  for  want  of  an  inter 
preter.  At  the  end  of  that  time  an  Indian, 
bearing  a  back-load  of  cow-skins  from  the 
Cacique,  arrived,  weeping  with  great  sobs, 
and  coming  to  where  the  Governor  was,  threw 
himself  at  his  feet.  Soto  raised  him  up,  and 
the  man  made  a  speech,  but  there  was  none  to 
understand  him.  The  Governor,  by  signs, 
told  him  to  return  and  say  to  the  Cacique, 
that  he  must  send  him  some  one  who  could 
speak  with  the  people  of  Cayas.  Three  In 
dians  came  the  next  day  with  loads  of  cow- 
skins,  and  three  days  afterward  came  twenty 
others.  Among  them  wras  one  who  under 
stood  those  of  Cayas.  After  a  long  oration 
from  him,  of  apologies  for  the  Cacique  and  in 
praise  of  the  Governor,  he  concluded  by  say- 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

ing,  that  he  with  the  others  had  come,  in  be 
half  of  the  Chief,  to  inquire  what  his  lordship 
would  command,  for  that  he  was  ready  to 
serve  him. 

At  hearing  these  words  the  Governor  and 
the  rest  were  all  rejoiced;  for  in  no  way 
could  they  go  on  without  a  guide.  He  or 
dered  the  man  to  be  safely  kept,  and  told  the 
Indians  who  came  with  him  to  go  back  to  the 
Cacique  and  say,  that  he  forgave  him  the  past 
and  greatly  thanked  him  for  the  interpreter 
and  the  presents;  that  he  should  be  pleased  to 
see  him,  and  to  come  the  next  day,  that  they 
might  talk  together.  He  came  at  the  end  of 
three  days,  and  with  him  eighty  Indians.  As 
he  and  his  men  entered  the  camp  they  wept, — 
the  token  of  obedience  and  the  repentance  of 
of  a  past  error,  according  to  the  usage  of  that 
country.  He  brought  a  present  of  many  cow- 
skins,  which  were  found  very  useful;  the 
country  being  cold,  they  were  taken  for  bed 
covers,  as  they  were  very  soft  and  the  wool 
like  that  of  sheep.  Near  by,  to  the  north 
ward,  are  many  cattle.  The  Christians  did 
not  see  them,  nor  go  where  they  were,  be 
cause  it  was  a  country  thinly  populated,  hav 
ing  little  maize.  The  Cacique  of  Tulla  made 
an  address  to  the  Governor,  in  which  he 
apologized  and  offered  him  his  country,  his 
vassals,  and  his  person.  The  speech  of  this 
140 


A  FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

Cacique — like  those  of  the  other  chiefs,  and 
all  the  messengers  in  their  behalf  who  came 
before  the  Governor — no  orator  could  more 
elegantly  phrase. 

CHAPTER    XXVII 

How  THE   GOVERNOR  WENT  FROM  TULLA  TO  AU 
TIAMQUE,    WHERE    HE    PASSED    THE    WINTER 

THE  Governor  informed  himself  of  the 
country  in  every  direction.  He  ascertained 
that  toward  the  west  there  was  a  thin  popula 
tion,  and  to  the  southeast  were  great  towns, 
principally  in  a  province,  abundant  of  maize, 
called  Autiamque,  at  the  distance  of  about 
eighty  leagues,  ten  days'  journey  from  Tulla. 
The  winter  was  already  come.  The  cold, 
rain,  and  snow  did  not  permit  the  people  to 
travel  for  two  or  three  months  in  the  year, 
and  the  Governor  feared  to  remain  among 
that  sparse  population,  lest  his  force  could  not 
be  subsisted  for  that  length  of  time.  More 
over,  the  Indians  said  that  near  Autiamque 
was  a  great  water,  which,  from  their  account, 
appeared  to  him  to  be  an  arm  of  the  sea. 
Hence,  he  determined  to  winter  in  that  prov 
ince,  and  in  the  following  summer  to  go  to 
the  sea-side,  where  he  would  build  two  brig- 
antines, — one  to  send  to  Cuba,  the  other  to 
New  Spain,  that  the  arrival  of  either  might 
141 


NARRATIVES   OF  DE   SOTO 

bear  tidings  of  him.  Three  years  had  elapsed 
since  he  had  been  heard  of  by  Dona  Ysabel, 
or  by  any  person  in  a  civilized  community. 
Two  hundred  and  fifty  men  of  his  were  dead, 
likewise  one  hundred  and  fifty  horses.  He  de 
sired  to  recruit  from  Cuba  of  man  and  beast, 
calculating,  out  of  his  property  there,  to  refit 
and  again  go  back  to  advance,  to  discover  and 
to  conquer  farther  on  towards  the  west,  where 
he  had  not  reached,  and  whither  Cabega  de 
Vaca  had  wandered. 

Having  dismissed  the  Caciques  of  Tulla 
and  Cayas,  the  Governor  took  up  his  course, 
marching  five  days  over  very  sharp  mountains, 
and  arrived  in  a  peopled  district  called  Qui- 
pana.  Not  a  native  could  be  captured,  because 
of  the  roughness  of  the  country,  and  the  town 
was  among  ridges.  At  night  an  ambuscade 
was  set,  in  which  two  men  were  taken,  who 
said  that  Autiamque  was  six  days'  journey 
distant,  and  that  there  was  another  prov 
ince  toward  the  south,  eight  days'  travel  off, 
called  Guahate,  very  abundant  in  maize  and 
very  populous.  However,  as  Autiamque 
was  nearer,  and  most  of  the  Indians  spoke 
of  it,  the  Governor  continued  on  his  journey 
thither. 

At  the  end  of  three  days  he  came  to  a 
town  called  Anoixi.  Having  sent  a  captain 
in  advance,  with  thirty  horse  and  fifty  foot, 
143 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

they  came  suddenly  upon  the  inhabitants,  tak 
ing  many  of  both  sexes.  On  the  second  day 
afterwards,  the  Governor  arrived  at  another 
town,  called  Catamaya,  and  slept  in  the  adja 
cent  fields.  Two  Indians  coming  to  him  from 
the  Cacique,  with  the  pretext  of  a  message, 
in  order  to  ascertain  his  business,  he  told 
them  to  say  to  their  master,  that  he  wished  to 
speak  with  him ;  but  they  came  no  more,  nor 
was  other  word  returned.  The  next  day  the 
Christians  went  to  the  town,  which  was  with 
out  people,  and  having  taken  what  maize  they 
needed,  that  night  they  reached  a  wood  to  rest, 
and  the  day  following  arrived  at  Autiamque. 
They  found  in  store  much  maize,  also  beans, 
walnuts,  and  dried  ameixas  in  large  quanti 
ties.  Some  Indians  were  taken  while  gather 
ing  up  their  clothing,  having  already  carried 
away  their  wives.  The  country  was  level  and 
very  populous.  The  Governor  lodged  in  the 
best  portion  of  the  town,  and  ordered  a  fence 
immediately  to  be  put  up~about  the  encamp 
ment,  away  from  the  houses,  that  the  Indians 
without  might  do  no  injury  with  fire.  Meas 
uring  off  the  ground  by  pacing,  he  allotted  to 
each  his  part  to  build,  according  to  the  Indians 
he  possessed ;  and  the  timber  being  soon 
brought  by  them,  in  three  days  it  was  finished, 
made  of  very  high  trees  sunk  deep  in  the 
ground,  and  traversed  by  many  pieces. 
143 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

Near  by  passed  a  river  of  Cayas,  the  shores 
of  it  well  peopled,  both  above  and  below  the 
town.  Indians  appeared  on  the  part  of  the 
Cacique  with  a  present  of  shawls  and  skins, 
and  a  lame  Chief,  the  lord  of  a  town  called 
Tietiquaquo,  subject  to  the  Cacique  of  Auti- 
amque,  came  frequently  to  visit  the  Governor, 
and  brought  him  gifts  of  the  things  he  pos 
sessed.  The  Cacique  sent  to  the  Governor  to 
inquire  what  length  of  time  he  would  remain 
in  his  territory;  and  hearing  that  he  was  to 
be  there  more  than  three  days,  he  sent  no  more 
messages  nor  Indians,  but  treated  with  the 
lame  Chief  to  insurge.  Numerous  inroads 
were  made,  in  which  many  persons  of  both 
sexes  were  taken,  and  among  the  rest  that 
Chief,  whom  the  Governor,  having  repre 
hended  and  admonished,  set  at  liberty,  in  con 
sideration  of  the  presents  he  had  made,  giv 
ing  him  two  Indians  to  bear  him  away  on 
their  shoulders. 

The  Cacique  of  Autiamque,  desiring  to 
drive  the  strangers  out  of  his  territory,  ordered 
spies  to  be  set  about  them.  An  Indian,  com 
ing  at  night  to  the  entrance  of  the  palisade, 
was  noticed  by  a  soldier  on  guard,  who,  put 
ting  himself  behind  the  door  as  he  entered, 
struck  him  down  with  a  cutlass.  When  taken 
before  the  Governor,  he  was  asked  why  he 
came,  but  fell  dead  without  utterance.  The 
144 


A  FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

next  night  the  Governor  sent  a  soldier  to 
beat  the  alarm,  and  cry  out  that  he  saw  In 
dians,  in  order  to  ascertain  how  fast  the  men 
would  hasten  to  the  call.  This  was  done  also 
in  other  places,  at  times  when  it  appeared  to 
him  they  were  careless,  that  he  might  reprove 
those  who  were  late  in  coming;  so  that  for 
danger,  as  well  as  for  doing  his  duty,  each  one 
on  such  occasion  would  strive  to  be  the  first. 

The  Christians  stayed  three  months  in 
Autiamque,  enjoying  the  greatest  plenty  of 
maize,  beans,  walnuts,  and  dried  ameixas;  also 
conies,  which  they  had  never  had  ingenuity 
enough  to  ensnare  until  the  Indians  there 
taught  them.  The  contrivance  is  a  strong 
spring,  that  lifts  the  animal  off  its  feet,  a 
noose  being  made  of  a  stiff  cord  to  run  about 
the  neck,  passing  through  rings  of  cane,  that 
it  may  not  be  gnawed.  Many  of  them  were 
taken  in  the  maize-fields,  usually  when  it  was 
freezing  or  snowing.  The  Christians  were 
there  a  month  in  snow,  when  they  did  not  go 
out  of  town,  save  to  a  wood,  at  the  distance 
of  two  crossbow-shots,  to  which,  whenever 
fuel  was  wanted,  a  road  was  opened,  the  Gov 
ernor  and  others,  on  horseback,  going  to  and 
returning  from  it  many  times,  when  it  was 
brought  from  there  by  those  on  foot.  In  this 
time  many  conies  were  killed  with  arrows  by 
the  Indians,  who  were  now  allowed  to  go 
I4S 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

at  large  in  their  shackles.  The  animal  is  of 
two  sorts;  one  of  them  like  that  of  Spain,  the 
other  of  the  colour,  form,  and  size  of  the 
great  hare,  though  longer  even,  and  having 
bigger  loins. 

CHAPTER    XXVIII 

How  THE   GOVERNOR  WENT   FROM   AUTIAMQUE   TO 

NlLCO,     AND     THENCE     TO     CUACHOYA. 

ON  Monday,  the  sixth  day  of  March,  of 
the  year  1542  of  the  Christian  era,  the  Gov 
ernor  set  out  from  Autiamque  to  seek  Nilco, 
which  the  Indians  said  was  nigh  the  River 
Grande,  with  the  purpose,  by  going  to  the 
sea,  to  recruit  his  forces.  He  had  not  over 
three  hundred  efficient  men,  nor  more  than 
forty  horses.  Some  of  the  beasts  were  lame, 
and  useful  only  in  making  out  the  show  of 
a  troop  of  cavalry;  and,  from  the  lack  of  iron, 
they  had  all  gone  a  year  without  shoes,  though, 
from  the  circumstance  of  travelling  in  a 
smooth  country,  they  had  little  need  of  them. 

Juan  Ortiz  died  in  Autiamque,  a  loss  the 
Governor  greatly  regretted;  for,  without  an 
interpreter,  not  knowing  whither  he  was  trav 
elling,  Soto  feared  to  enter  the  country,  lest 
he  might  get  lost.  Thenceforth  a  lad,  taken 
in  Cutifachiqui,  who  had  learned  somewhat 
of  the  language  of  the  Christians,  served  as 
146 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

the  interpreter.  The  death  was  so  great  a 
hindrance  to  our  going,  whether  on  discovery 
or  out  of  the  country,  that  to  learn  of  the 
Indians  what  would  have  been  rendered  in  four 
words,  it  became  necessary  now  to  have  the 
whole  day:  and  oftener  than  otherwise  the 
very  opposite  was  understood  of  what  was 
asked;  so  that  many  times  it  happened  the 
road  that  we  travelled  one  day,  or  sometimes 
two  or  three  days,  would  have  to  be  returned 
over,  wandering  up  and  down,  lost  in  thickets. 
The  Governor  went  to  a  province  called 
Ayays,  arriving  at  a  town  near  the  river  that 
passed  by  Cayas,  and  by  Autiamque,  from 
which  he  had  been  ten  days  in  coming.  He 
ordered  a  piragua  to  be  built,  in  which  he 
crossed ;  and,  having  arrived  on  the  other 
shore,  there  set  in  such  weather  that  march 
ing  was  impossible  for  four  days,  because  of 
snow.  When  that  ceased  to  fall,  he  trav 
elled  three  days  through  desert,  a  region  so 
low,  so  full  of  lakes  and  bad  passages,  that  at 
one  time,  for  the  whole  day,  the  travel  lay 
through  water  up  to  the  knees  at  places,  in 
others  to  the  stirrups;  and  occasionally,  for 
the  distance  of  a  few  paces,  there  was  swim 
ming.  And  he  came  to  Tutelpinco,  a  town 
untenanted,  and  found  to  be  without  maize, 
seated  near  a  lake  that  flowed  copiously  into 
'  the  river  with  a  violent  current.  Five  Chris- 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

tians,  in  charge  of  a  captain,  in  attempting  to 
cross,  by  order  of  the  Governor,  were  upset; 
when  some  seized  hold  of  the  canoe  they  had 
employed,  others  of  trees  that  grew  in  the 
water,  while  one,  a  worthy  man,  Francisco 
Bastian,  a  native  of  Villanueva  de  Barcarota, 
became  drowned.  The  Governor  travelled 
all  one  day  along  the  margin  of  the  lake,  seek 
ing  for  a  ford,  but  could  discover  none,  nor 
any  way  to  get  over. 

Returning  to  Tutelpinco  a|  night,  the  Gov 
ernor  found  two  friendly  natives,  who  were 
willing  to  show  him  the  crossing,  and  the  road 
he  was  to  take.  From  the  reeds  and  timber 
of  the  houses,  rafts  and  causeways  were  made, 
on  which  the  river  was  crossed.  After  three 
days'  marching,  at  Tianto,  in  the  territory  of 
Nilco,  thirty  Indians  were  taken,  among 
whom  were  two  Chiefs  of  the  town.  A  cap 
tain,  with  infantry  and  cavalry,  was  directly 
dispatched  to  Nilco,  that  the  inhabitants 
might  not  have  time  to  carry  off  their  provi 
sions.  In  going  through  three  or  four  large 
towns,  at  the  one  where  the  Cacique  resided, 
two  leagues  from  where  the  Governor  stayed, 
many  Indians  were  found  to  be  in  readiness, 
with  bows  and  arrows,  who,  surrounding  the 
place,  appeared  to  invite  an  onset;  but  so 
soon  as  they  saw  the  Christians  drawing  nigh 
to  them  without  faltering,  they  approached 
148 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

the  dwelling  of  the  Cacique,  setting  fire  to 
it,  and,  by  a  pond  near  the  town,  through 
which  the  horses  could  not  go,  they  fled. 

The  following  day,  Wednesday,  the 
twenty-ninth  of  March,  the  Governor  arrived 
at  Nilco,  making  his  quarters,  and  those  of 
his  people,  in  the  town  of  the  Cacique,  which 
was  in  an  open  field,  that  for  a  quarter  of  a 
league  over  was  all  inhabited ;  and  at  the  dis 
tance  of  from  half  a  league  to  a  league  off 
were  many  other  large  towns,  in  which  was  a 
good  quantity  of  maize,  beans,  walnuts,  and 
dried  ameixas.  This  was  the  most  populous 
of  any  country  that  was  seen  in  Florida,  and 
the  most  abundant  in  maize,  excepting  Coc^a 
and  Apalache.  An  Indian,  attended  by  a 
party,  arrived  at  the  camp,  and,  presenting 
the  Governor  with  a  cloak  of  marten-skins 
and  a  string  of  pearls,  he  received  some  mar- 
garidetas  (a  kind  of  bead  much  esteemed  in 
Peru),  and  other  trinkets,  with  which  he  was 
well  pleased.  At  leaving,  he  promised  to  be 
back  in  two  days,  but  did  not  return.  In  the 
night-time,  however,  the  Indians  came  in 
canoes,  and  carrying  away  all  the  maize  they 
could  take,  set  up  their  huts  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  among  the  thickest  bushes.  The 
Governor,  finding  that  the  Indians  did  not 
arrive  within  the  time  promised,  ordered  an 
ambuscade  to  be  placed  at  some  cribs,  near 
149 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

the  lake,  to  which  the  Indians  came  for  maize. 
Two  of  them  were  taken,  who  told  him  that 
the  person  who  had  come  to  visit  him  was 
not  the  Cacique,  but  one  sent  by  him,  pre 
tending  to  be  he,  in  order  to  observe  what 
might  be  the  vigilance  of  the  Christians,  and 
whether  it  was  their  purpose  to  remain  in  that 
country,  or  to  go  farther.  Directly  a  captain, 
with  men  on  horseback  and  foot,  were  sent 
over  to  the  other  shore;  but,  as  their  cross 
ing  was  observed,  only  ten  or  a  dozen  Indians, 
of  both  sexes,  could  be  taken;  and  with  these 
the  Christians  returned  to  camp. 

This  river,  passing  by  Anilco,  is  the  same 
that  flows  by  Cayas  and  Autiamque,  and  falls 
into  the  River  Grande,  which  flows  by  Pacaha 
and  Aquixo,  near  the  Province  of  Guachoya, 
the  lord  of  which  ascended  in  canoes  to  carry 
war  upon  him  of  Nilco.  In  his  behalf  a  mes 
senger  came  to  the  Governor,  saying  that  the 
Cacique  was  his  servant,  desiring  to  be  so 
considered,  and  that  in  two  days  from  that 
time  he  would  come  to  make  his  salutation. 
He  arrived  in  season,  accompanied  by  some 
of  his  principal  men,  and  with  great  proffers 
and  courtesy,  he  presented  many  shawls  and 
deer-skins.  The  Governor  gave  him  some 
articles  of  barter,  showing  him  much  atten 
tion,  and  inquired  what  towns  there  might 
be  on  the  river  below.  He,  replied  that  hq 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

knew  of  none  other  than  his  own;  that  oppo 
site  was  the  Province  of  a  Cacique  called 
Quigaltam;  then,  taking  his  leave,  returned 
to  his  town. 

The  Governor  determined  to  go  to  Gua- 
choya  within  a  few  days,  to  learn  if  the  sea 
were  near,  or  if  there  were  any  inhabited 
territory  nigh  it,  where  he  might  find  sub 
sistence  whilst  those  brigantines  were  build 
ing,  that  he  desired  to  send  to  a  country  of 
Christians.  As  he  crossed  the  River  of  Nilco, 
there  came  up  Indians  in  canoes  from 
Guachoya,  who,  when  they  saw  him,  think 
ing  that  he  was  in  their  pursuit,  to  do  them 
harm,  they  returned  down  the  river,  and 
informed  the  Cacique,  when  he  took  away 
from  the  town  whatsoever  his  people  could 
carry,  and  passed  over  with  them,  all  that 
night,  to  the  other  bank  of  the  River  Grande. 
The  Governor  sent  a  captain  with  fifty  men, 
in  six  canoes,  down  the  river  to  Guachoya; 
while  he,  with  the  rest,  marched  by  land, 
arriving  there  on  Sunday,  the  seventeenth  day  x 
of  April.  He  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  town 
of  the  Cacique,  which  was  palisaded,  seated 
a  crossbow-shot  from  the  stream,  that  is  there 
called  the  River  Tamaliseu,  Tapatu  at  Nilco, 
Mico  at  Coga,  and  at  its  entrance  is  known 
as  The  River.. 

1  Sunday  was  the  fifteenth  of  April.     (B.) 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

CHAPTER    XXIX 

THE  MESSAGE  SENT  TO  QUIGALTAM,  AND  THE  AN 
SWER  BROUGHT  BACK  TO  THE  GOVERNOR,  AND 
WHAT  OCCURRED  THE  WHILE. 

So  soon  as  the  Governor  arrived  in 
Guachoya,  he  ordered  Juan  de  Aiiasco,  with 
as  many  people  as  could  go  in  the  canoes,  to 
ascend  the  river;  for  while  they  were  coming 
from  Anilco  they  saw  some  cabins  newly  built 
on  the  opposite  shore.  The  Comptroller  went, 
and  brought  back  the  boats  laded  with  maize, 
beans,  dried  ameixas,  and  the  pulp  of  them 
made  into  many  loaves.  The  same  day  an 
Indian  arrived  from  Guachoya,  and  said  that 
the  Cacique  would  come  on  the  morrow.  The 
next  day,  many  canoes  were  seen  ascending 
the  river;  and  the  people  in  them  remained 
for  an  hour  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  River 
Grande,  in  consultation,  as  to  whether  they 
should  come  to  us  or  not;  but  finally  they 
concluded  to  come,  and  crossed  the  river, 
among  them  being  the  Cacique  of  Guachoya 
with  many  Indians,  bringing  much  fish,  many 
dogs,  skins,  and  blankets.  So  soon  as  they  had 
landed,  they  went  to  the  lodging  of  the  Gov 
ernor  in  the  town,  and  having  presented  him 
with  the  offerings,  the  Cacique  thus  spoke: 

POTENT  AND  EXCELLENT  MASTER: 

I  entreat  you  to  forgive  me  the  error  I  committed 
152 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

in  going  away  from  this  town,  and  not  waiting  to 
greet  and  to  obey  you ;  since  the  occasion  should 
have  been  for  me,  and  is,  one  of  pride:  but  I 
dreaded  what  I  should  not  have  feared,  and  did 
consequently  what  was  out  of  reason ;  for  error 
comes  of  haste,  and  I  left  without  proper  thought. 
So  soon  as  I  had  reflected,  I  resolved  not  to  fol 
low  the  inclination  of  the  foolish,  which  is  to 
persist  in  his  course,  but  to  take  that  of  the  dis 
creet  and  the  wise:  thus  have  I  changed  my  pur 
pose,  coming  to  see  in  what  it  is  you  will  bid  me 
serve  you,  within  the  farthermost  limits  of  my 
control. 

The  Governor  received  him  with  much 
pleasure,  thanking  him  for  the  proffers  and 
gift.  Being  asked  if  he  had  any  information 
of  the  sea,  he  said,  none,  nor  of  any  other 
inhabited  country  below  on  that  side  of  the 
river,  except  a  town  two  leagues  distant,  be 
longing  to  a  chief  subject  to  him;  nor  on 
the  other  shore,  save  three  leagues  down,  the 
Province  of  Quigaltam,  the  lord  of  which 
was  the  greatest  of  that  country.  The  Gov 
ernor,  suspecting  that  the  Cacique  spoke  un 
truthfully,  to  rid  his  towns  of  him,  sent  Juan 
de  Anasco  with  eight  of  cavalry  down  the 
river,  to  discover  what  population  might  be 
there,  and  get  what  knowledge  there  was  of 
the  sea.  He  was  gone  eight  days,  and  stated, 
when  he  got  back,  that  in  all  that  time 
he  could  not  travel  more  than  fourteen  or 
fifteen  leagues,  on  account  of  the  great 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

bogs  that  came  out  of  the  river,  the  cane- 
brakes  and  thick  scrubs  there  were  along  the 
margin,  and  that  he  had  found  no  inhabited 
spot. 

The  Governor  sank  into  a  deep  despondency 
at  sight  of  the  difficulties  that  presented  them 
selves  to  his  reaching  the  sea;  and,  what  was 
worse,  from  the  way  in  which  the  men  and 
horses  were  diminishing  in  numbers,  he  could 
not  sustain  himself  in  the  country  without 
succour.  Of  that  reflection  he  pined:  but, 
before  he  took  to  his  pallet,  he  sent  a  messen 
ger  to  the  Cacique  of  Quigaltam,  to  say  that 
he  was  the  child  of  the  Sun,  and  whence  he 
came  all  obeyed  him,  rendering  their  tribute; 
that  he  besought  him  to  value  his  friendship, 
and  to  come  where  he  was;  that  he  would 
be  rejoiced  to  see  him;  and  in  token  of  love 
and  his  obedience,  he  must  bring  him  some 
thing  from  his  country  that  was  in  most 
esteem  there.  By  the  same  Indian,  the  Chief 
returned  this  answer: 

As  to  what  you  say  of  your  being  the  son  of  the 
Sun,  if  you  will  cause  him  to  dry  up  the  great  river, 
I  will  believe  you:  as  to  the  rest,  it  is  not  my  cus 
tom  to  visit  any  one,  but  rather  all,  of  whom  I 
have  ever  heard,  have  come  to  visit  me,  to  serve  and 
obey  me,  and  pay  me  tribute,  either  voluntarily  or 
by  force:  if  you  desire  to  see  me,  come  where  I  am; 
if  for  peace,  I  will  receive  you  with  special  good 
will;  if  £pr  war,  I  will  await  you  in  my  town;  but 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

neither  for  you,  nor  for  any  man,  will  I  set  back  one 

foot. 

When  the  messenger  returned,  the  Gov 
ernor  was  already  low,  being  very  ill  of  fevers. 
He  grieved  that  he  was  not  in  a  state  to  cross 
the  river  at  once,  and  go  in  quest  of  the 
Cacique,  to  see  if  he  could  not  abate  that 
pride;  though  the  stream  was  already  flow 
ing  very  powerfully,  was  nearly  half  a  league 
broad,  sixteen  fathoms  in  height,  rushing  by 
in  furious  torrent,  and  on  either  shore  were 
many  Indians;  nor  was  his  power  any  longer 
so  great  that  he  might  disregard  advantages, 
relying  on  his  strength  alone. 

Every  day  the  Indians  of  Guachoya  brought 
fish,  until  they  came  to  be  in  such  plenty  that 
the  town  was  covered  with  them. 

The  Governor  having  been  told  by  the 
Cacique,  that  on  a  certain  night,  the  Chief 
of  Quigaltam  would  come  to  give  him  battle, 
he  suspected  it  to  be  a  fiction  of  his  devising 
to  get  him  out  of  his  country,  and  he  ordered 
him  to  be  put  under  guard,  and  from  that 
night  forth  the  watch  to  be  well  kept.  When 
asked  why  the  Chief  did  not  come,  he  said  that 
he  had,  but  that,  finding  the  Governor  in 
readiness,  he  dared  not  adventure;  and  he 
greatly  importuned  him  to  send  the  captains 
over  the  river,  offering  to  supply  many  men  to 
go  upon  Quigaltam:  to  which  the  Governor 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

said,  that  so  soon  as  he  got  well  he  would  him 
self  go  to  seek  that  Cacique.  Observing  how 
many  Indians  came  every  day  to  the  town,  and 
how  populous  was  that  country,  the  Governor 
fearing  that  they  would  plot  together,  and 
practise  on  him  some  perfidy,  he  permitted  the 
gates  in  use,  and  some  gaps  in  the  palisade  that 
had  not  yet  been  closed  up,  to  remain  open, 
that  the  Indians  might  not  suppose  he  stood 
in  fear,  ordering  the  cavalry  to  be  distributed 
there;  and  the  night  long  they  made  the 
round,  from  each  squadron  going  mounted 
men  in  couples  to  visit  the  scouts,  outside 
the  town,  at  points  in  the  roads,  and  to  the 
crossbow-men  that  guarded  the  canoes  in 
the  river. 

That  the  Indians  might  stand  in  terror  of 
them,  the  Governor  determined  to  send  a  cap 
tain  to  Nilco,  which  the  people  of  Guachoya 
had  told  him  was  inhabited,  and,  treating  the 
inhabitants  there  severely,  neither  town  would 
dare  to  attack  him:  so  he  commanded  Cap 
tain  Nuno  de  Tobar  to  march  thither  with 
fifteen  horsemen,  and  Captain  Juan  de  Guz 
man,  with  his  company  of  foot,  to  ascend  the 
river  by  water  in  canoes.  The  Cacique  of  Gua 
choya  ordered  canoes  to  be  brought,  and  many 
warriors  to  come,  who  went  with  the  Chris 
tians.  Two  leagues  from  Nilco,  the  cavalry, 
having  first  arrived,  waited  for  the  foot,  and 
156 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

thence  together  they  crossed  the  river  in  the 
night.  At  dawn,  in  sight  of  the  town,  they 
came  upon  a  scout,  who,  directly  as  he  saw  the 
Christians,  set  up  loud  yells,  and  fled  to  carry 
the  news  to  those  in  the  place.  Nuno  de  Tobar, 
and  those  with  him,  hastened  on  so  rapidly, 
that  they  were  upon  the  inhabitants  before 
they  could  all  get  out  of  town.  The  ground 
was  open  field;  the  part  of  it  covered  by  the 
houses,  which  might  be  a  quarter  of  a  league 
in  extent,  contained  five  or  six  thousand  souls. 
Coming  out  of  them,  the  Indians  ran  from 
one  to  another  habitation,  numbers  collecting 
in  all  parts,  so  that  there  was  not  a  man  on 
horseback  who  did  not  find  himself  amidst 
many;  and  when  the  Captain  ordered  that  the 
life  of  no  male  should  be  spared,  the  surprise 
was  such,  that  there  wras  not  a  man  among 
them  in  readiness  to  draw  a  bow.  The  cries 
of  the  women  and  children  were  such  as  to 
deafen  those  who  pursued  them.  About  one 
hundred  men  were  slain;  many  were  allowed 
to  get  away  badly  wounded,  that  they  might 
strike  terror  into  those  who  were  absent. 

Some  persons  were  so  cruel  and  butcher- 
like  that  they  killed  all  before  them,  young 
and  old,  not  one  having  resisted  little  nor 
much;  while  those  who  felt  it  their  duty  to 
be  wherever  there  might  be  resistance,  and 
were  esteemed  brave,  broke  through  the 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

crowds  of  Indians,  bearing  down  many  with 
their  stirrups  and  the  breasts  of  their  horses, 
giving  some  a  thrust  and  letting  them  go,  but 
encountering  a  child  or  a  woman  would  take 
and  deliver  it  over  to  the  footmen.  To  the 
ferocious  and  bloodthirsty,  God  permitted  that 
their  sin  should  rise  up  against  them  in  the 
presence  of  all — when  there  was  occasion  for 
fighting  showing  extreme  cowardice,  and  in 
the  end  paying  for  it  with  their  lives. 

Eighty  women  and  children  were  captured 
at  Nilco,  and  much  clothing.  The  Indians 
of  Guachoya,  before  arriving  at  the  town,  had 
come  to  a  stop,  and  from  without  watched 
the  success  of  the  Christians  over  the  in 
habitants;  and  when  they  saw  that  these  were 
scattered,  that  the  cavalry  were  following 
and  lancing  them,  they  went  to  the  houses  for 
plunder,  filling  the  canoes  with  clothing;  and 
lest  the  Christians  might  take  away  what  they 
got,  they  returned  to  Guachoya,  where  they 
came  greatly  astonished  at  what  they  had 
seen  done  to  the  people  of  Nilco,  which  they, 
in  great  fear,  recounted  circumstantially  to 
their  Cacique. 


158 


A  FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

CHAPTER    XXX 

THE  DEATH  OF  THE  ADELANTADO,  DON  HERNANDO 
DE  SOTO,  AND  HOW  LUYS  MOSCOSO  DE  ALVARADO 
WAS  CHOSEN  GOVERNOR. 

THE  Governor,  conscious  that  the  hour 
approached  in  which  he  should  depart  this 
life,  commanded  that  all  the  King's  officers 
should  be  called  before  him,  the  captains  and 
the  principal  personages,  to  whom  he  made  a 
speech.  He  said  that  he  was  about  to  go 
into  the  presence  of  God,  to  give  account  of 
all  his  past  life ;  and  since  He  had  been  pleased 
to  take  him  away  at  such  a  time,  and  when  he 
could  recognize  the  moment  of  his  death,  he, 
His  most  unworthy  servant,  rendered  Him 
hearty  thanks.  He  confessed  his  deep  obliga 
tions  to  them  all,  whether  present  or  absent, 
for  their  great  qualities,  their  love  and  loyalty 
to  his  person,  well  tried  in  the  sufferance  of 
hardship,  which  he  ever  wished  to  honour,  and 
had  designed  to  reward,  when  the  Almighty 
should  be  pleased  to  give  him  repose  from 
labour  with  greater  prosperity  to  his  fortune. 
He  begged  that  they  would  pray  for  him,  that 
through  mercy  he  might  be  pardoned  his  sins, 
and  his  soul  be  received  in  glory:  he  asked 
that  they  would  relieve  him  of  the  charge  he 
held  over  them,  as  well  of  the  indebtedness  he 
was  under  to  them  all,  as  to  forgive  him  any 

159 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

wrongs  they  might  have  received  at  his  hands. 
To  prevent  any  divisions  that  might  arise,  as 
to  who  should  command,  he  asked  that  they 
would  be  pleased  to  elect  a  principal  and  able 
person  to  be  governor,  one  with  whom  they 
should  all  be  satisfied,  and,  being  chosen,  they 
would  swear  before  him  to  obey:  that  this 
would  greatly  satisfy  him,  abate  somewhat  the 
pains  he  suffered,  and  moderate  the  anxiety 
of  leaving  them  in  a  country,  they  knew  not 
where. 

Baltasar  de  Gallegos  responded  in  behalf 
of  all,  consoling  him  with  remarks  on  the 
shortness  of  the  life  of  this  world,  attended  as 
it  was  by  so  many  toils  and  afflictions,  saying 
that  whom  God  earliest  called  away,  He 
showed  particular  favour;  with  many  other 
things  appropriate  to  such  an  occasion:  And 
finally,  since  it  pleased  the  Almighty  to  take 
him  to  Himself,  amid  the  deep  sorrow  they 
not  unreasonably  felt,  it  was  necessary  and 
becoming  in  him,  as  in  them,  to  conform  to 
the  Divine  Will:  that  as  respected  the  elec 
tion  of  a  governor,  which  he  ordered,  whom 
soever  his  Excellency  should  name  to  the  com 
mand,  him  would  they  obey.  Thereupon  the 
Governor  nominated  Luys  Moscoso  de  Alva- 
rado  to  be  his  Captain-General;  when  by  all 
those  present  was  he  straightway  chosen  and 
sworn  Governor. 

1 60 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

The  next  day,  the  twenty-first  of  May,  de 
parted  this  life  the  magnanimous,  the  virtuous, 
the  intrepid  Captain,  Don  Hernando  de  Soto, 
Governor  of  Cuba  and  Adelantado  of  Florida. 
He  was  advanced  by  fortune,  in  the  way  she 
is  wont  to  lead  others,  that  he  might  fall  the 
greater  depth:  he  died  in  a  land,  and  at  a 
time,  that  could  afford  him  little  comfort  in 
his  illness,  when  the  danger  of  being  no  more 
heard  from  stared  his  companions  in  the  face, 
each  one  himself  having  need  of  sympathy, 
which  was  the  cause  why  they  neither  gave 
him  their  companionship  nor  visited  him,  as 
otherwise  they  would  have  done. 

Luys  de  Moscoso  determined  to  conceal 
what  had  happened  from  the  Indians;  for 
Soto  had  given  them  to  understand  that  the 
Christians  were  immortal;  besides,  they  held 
him  to  be  vigilant,  sagacious,  brave;  and, 
although  they  were  at  peace,  should  they  know 
him  to  be  dead,  they,  being  of  their  nature 
inconstant,  might  venture  on  making  an  at 
tack;  and  they  were  credulous  of  all  that  he 
had  told  them,  who  made  them  believe  that 
some  things  which  went  on  among  them 
privately,  and  he  had  come  at  without  their 
being  able  to  see  how,  or  by  what  means,  that 
the  figure  which  appeared  in  a  mirror  he 
showed,  told  him  whatsoever  they  might  be 
about,  or  desired  to  do;  whence  neither  by 
161 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

word  nor  deed  did  they  dare  undertake  any 
thing  to  his  injury. 

So  soon  as  the  death  had  taken  place,  Luys 
de  Moscoso  directed  the  body  to  be  put 
secretly  into  a  house,  where  it  remained  three 
days;  and  thence  it  was  taken  at  night,  by 
his  order,  to  a  gate  of  the  town,  and  buried 
within.  The  Indians,  who  had  seen  him  ill, 
finding  him  no  longer,  suspected  the  reason ; 
and  passing  by  where  he  lay,  they  observed  the 
ground  loose,  and,  looking  about,  talked 
among  themselves.  This  coming  to  the 
knowledge  of  Luys  de  Moscoso,  he  ordered 
the  corpse  to  be  taken  up  at  night,  and  among 
the  shawls  that  enshrouded  it  having  cast 
abundance  of  sand,  it  was  taken  out  in  a 
canoe  and  committed  to  the  middle  of  the 
stream.  The  Cacique  of  Guachoya  asked 
for  him,  saying:  "  What  has  been  done  with 
my  brother  and  lord,  the  Governor?"  Luys 
de  Moscoso  told  him  that  he  had  ascended  into 
the  skies,  as  he  had  done  on  other  many  occa 
sions;  but  as  he  would  have  to  be  detained 
there  some  time,  he  had  left  him  in  his  stead. 
The  Chief,  thinking  within  himself  that  he 
was  dead,  ordered  two  well-proportioned 
young  men  to  be  brought,  saying,  that  it  was 
the  usage  of  the  country,  when  any  lord  died, 
to  kill  some  persons,  who  should  accompany 
and  serve  him  on  the  way,  on  which  account 
162 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

they  were  brought;  and  he  told  him  to  com 
mand  their  heads  to  be  struck  off,  that  they 
might  go  accordingly  to  attend  his  friend  and 
master.  Luys  de  Moscoso  replied  to  him, 
that  the  Governor  was  not  dead,  but  only 
gone  into  the  heavens,  having  taken  with  him 
of  his  soldiers  sufficient  number  for  his  need, 
and  he  besought  him  to  let  those  Indians  go, 
and  from  that  time  forward  not  to  follow  so 
evil  a  practice.  They  were  presently  ordered 
to  be  let  loose,  that  they  might  return  to 
their  houses;  but  one  of  them  refused  to 
leave,  alleging  that  he  did  not  wish  to  remain 
in  the  power  of  one  who,  without  cause,  con 
demned  him  to  die,  and  that  he  who  had  saved 
his  life  he  desired  to  serve  so  long  as  he  should 
live. 

Luys  de  Moscoso  ordered  the  property  of 
the  Governor  to  be  sold  at  public  outcry.  It 
consisted  of  two  male  and  three  female  slaves, 
three  horses,  and  seven  hundred  swine.  For 
each  slave,  or  horse,  was  given  two  or  three 
thousand  cruzados,  to  be  paid  at  the  first  melt 
ing  up  of  gold  or  silver,  or  division  of  vassals 
and  territory,  with  the  obligation  that  should 
there  being  nothing  found  in  the  country,  the 
payment  should  be  made  at  the  end  of  a  year, 
those  having  no  property  to  pledge  to  give 
their  bond.  A  hog  brought  in  the  same  way, 
trusted,  two  hundred  cruzados.  Those  who 
163 


NARRATIVES   OF  DE   SOTO 

had  left  any  thing  at  home  bought  more  spar 
ingly,  and  took  less  than  others.  From  that 
time  forward  most  of  the  people  owned  and 
raised  hogs;  they  lived  on  pork,  observed  Fri 
days  and  Saturdays,  and  the  vespers  of  holi 
days,  which  they  had  not  done  before;  for, 
at  times,  they  had  passed  two  or  three  months 
without  tasting  any  meat,  and  on  the  day  they 
got  any,  it  had  been  their  custom  to  eat  it. 

CHAPTER    XXXI 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  LUYS  DE  Moscoso  LEFT  GUA- 

CHOYA  AND  WENT  TO  CHAGUATE,  AND  FROM 
THENCE  TO  AGUACAY. 

SOME  were  glad  of  the  death  of  Don  Her- 
nando  de  Soto,  holding  it  certain  that  Luys 
de  Moscoso,  who  was  given  to  leading  a  gay 
life,  preferred  to  see  himself  at  ease  in  a  land 
of  Christians,  rather  than  continue  the  toils 
of  war,  discovering  and  subduing,  which  the 
people  had  come  to  hate,  finding  the  little 
recompense  that  followed.  The  Governor 
ordered  that  the  captains  and  principal  per 
sonages  should  come  together,  to  consult  and 
determine  upon  what  they  would  do;  and, 
informed  of  the  population  there  was  on  all 
sides,  he  found  that  towards  the  west  the  coun 
try  was  most  inhabited,  and  that  descending 
the  stream,  after  passing  Quigaltam,  it  was 
164 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

desert  and  had  little  subsistence.  He  besought 
them  all  to  give  him  their  opinion  in  writing, 
signed  with  their  names,  that,  having  the  views 
of  every  one,  he  might  determine  whether  to 
follow  down  the  river  or  enter  the  land. 

To  every  one  it  appeared  well  to  march 
westwardly,  because  in  that  direction  was  New 
Spain,  the  voyage  by  sea  being  held  more 
hazardous  and  of  doubtful  accomplishment, 
as  a  vessel  of  sufficient  strength  to  weather  a 
storm  could  not  be  built,  nor  was  there  cap 
tain  nor  pilot,  needle  nor  chart,  nor  was  it 
known  how  distant  might  be  the  sea;  neither 
had  they  any  tidings  of  it,  or  if  the  river  did 
not  take  some  great  turn  through  the  land, 
or  might  not  have  some  fall  over  rocks  where 
they  might  be  lost.  Some,  who  had  seen  the 
sea-card,  found  that  by  the  shore,  from  the 
place  where  they  were  to  New  Spain,  there 
should  be  about  five  hundred  leagues;  and 
they  said  that  by  land,  though  they  might  have 
to  go  round-about  sometimes,  in  looking  for 
a  peopled  country,  unless  some  great  impass 
able  wilderness  should  intervene,  they  could 
not  be  hindered  from  going  forward  that 
summer;  and,  finding  provision  for  support  in 
some  peopled  country  where  they  might  stop, 
the  following  summer  they  should  arrive  in  a 
land  of  Christians;  and  that,  going  by  land, 
it  might  be  they  should  discover  some  rich 
'65 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

country  which  would  avail  them.  Moscoso, 
although  it  was  his  desire  to  get  out  of  the 
land  of  Florida  in  the  shortest  time,  seeing  the 
difficulties  that  lay  before  him  in  a  voyage 
by  sea,  determined  to  undertake  that  which 
should  appear  to  be  the  best  to  all. 

Monday,  the  fifth  of  June,  the  Governor 
left  Guachoya,  receiving  a  guide  from  the 
Cacique  who  remained  in  his  town.  They 
passed  through  a  province  called  Catalte;  and, 
going  through  a  desert  six  days'  journey  in 
extent,  on  the  twentieth  of  the  month  they 
came  to  Chaguate.  The  Cacique  of  the 
province  had  been  to  visit  the  Governor,  Don 
Hernando  de  Soto,  at  Autiamque,  where  he 
took  him  presents  of  shawls,  skins,  and  salt. 
The  day  before  Luys  de  Moscoso  arrived,  a 
sick  Christian  becoming  missed,  whom  the  In 
dians  were  suspected  to  have  killed,  he  sent 
word  to  the  Cacique  to  look  for  and  return 
him — that  in  so  doing  he  would  continue  to  be 
his  friend ;  if  otherwise,  the  Cacique  should  not 
hide  from  him  anywhere,  nor  he  nor  his,  and 
that  he  would  leave  his  country  in  ashes.  The 
Chief  directly  came,  and,  bringing  the  Chris 
tian,  with  a  large  gift  of  shawls  and  skins, 
he  made  this  speech : 

EXCELLENT  MASTER: 

I  would  not  deserve  that  opinion  you  have  of  me 
for  all  the  wealth  of  the  world.    Who  impelled  me 
1 66 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

to  visit  and  serve  that  excellent  lord,  the  Governor, 
your  father,  in  Autiamque,  which  you  should  have 
remembered,  where  I  offered  myself,  with  all 
loyalty,  truth,  and  love,  to  serve  and  obey  his  life 
time:  or  what  could  have  been  my  purpose,  having 
received  favours  of  him,  and  without  either  of  you 
having  done  me  any  injury,  that  I  should  be  moved 
to  do  that  which  I  should  not?  Believe  me,  no 
outrage,  nor  worldly  interest,  could  have  been  equal 
to  making  me  act  thus,  or  could  have  so  blinded 
me.  Since,  however,  in  this  life,  the  natural  course 
is,  after  one  pleasure  should  succeed  many  pains, 
fortune  has  been  pleased  with  your  indignation  to 
moderate  the  joy  I  felt  in  my  heart  at  your  coming, 
and  have  failed  where  I  aimed  to  hit,  in  pleasing 
this  Christian,  who  remained  behind  lost,  treating 
him  in  a  manner  of  which  he  shall  himself  speak, 
thinking  that  in  this  I  should  do  you  service,  and 
intending  to  come  with  and  deliver  him  to  you  at 
Chaguate,  serving  you  in  all  things,  to  the  extent 
possible  in  my  power.  If  for  this  I  deserve  punish 
ment  from  your  hand,  I  shall  receive  it,  as  coming 
from  my  master's,  as  though  it  were  favour. 

The  Governor  answered,  that  because  he 
had  not  found  him  in  Chaguate  he  was  in 
censed,  supposing  that  he  had  kept  away,  as 
others  had  done;  but  that,  as  he  now  knew 
his  loyalty  and  love,  he  would  ever  consider 
him  a  brother,  and  wrould  favour  him  in  all 
matters.  The  Cacique  went  with  him  to  the 
town  where  he  resided,  the  distance  of  a  day's 
journey.  They  passed  through  a  small  town 
where  was  a  lake,  and  the  Indians  made  salt: 
167 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

the  Christians  made  some  on  the  day  they 
rested  there,  from  water  that  rose  near  by 
from  springs  in  pools.  The  Governor  was  six 
days  in  Chaguate,  where  he  informed  himself 
of  the  people  there  were  to  the  west.  He 
heard  that  three  days'  journey  distant,  was  a 
province  called  Aguacay. 

On  leaving  Chaguate,  a  Christian  re 
mained  behind,  named  Francisco  de  Guzman, 
bastard  son  of  a  gentleman  of  Sevilla,  who, 
in  fear  of  being  made  to  pay  for  gaming  debts 
in  the  person  of  an  Indian  girl,  his  concu 
bine,  he  took  her  away  with  him;  and  the 
Governor,  having  marched  two  days  before 
he  was  missed,  sent  word  to  the  Cacique  to 
seek  for  and  send  him  to  Aguacay,  whither  he 
was  marching,  but  the  Chief  never  did.  Be 
fore  arriving  at  this  province,  they  received 
five  Indians,  coming  with  a  gift  of  skins,  fish, 
and  roasted  venison,  sent  on  the  part  of  the 
Cacique.  The  Governor  reached  his  town  on 
Wednesday,  the  fourth  day  of  July,1  and  find 
ing  it  unoccupied,  lodged  there.  He  remained 
in  it  a  while,  making  some  inroads,  in  which 
many  Indians  of  both  sexes  were  captured. 
There  they  heard  of  the  South  Sea.  Much 
salt  was  got  out  of  the  sand,  gathered  in  a  vein 
of  earth-like  slate,  and  was  made  as  they  make 
it  in  Cayas. 

1  Wednesday  was  the  fifth  of  July.     (B.) 

Ml 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

CHAPTER     XXXII 

How    THE    GOVERNOR    WENT    FROM    AGUACAY    TO 
NAGUATEX,  AND  WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  HIM. 

THE  day  the  Governor  left  Aguacay  he 
went  to  sleep  near  a  small  town,  subject  to 
the  lord  of  that  province.  He  set  the  en 
campment  very  nigh  a  salt  lake,  and  that 
afternoon  some  salt  was  made.  He  marched 
the  next  day,  and  slept  between  two  mountains, 
in  an  open  grove;  the  next  after,  he  arrived 
at  a  small  town  called  Pato ;  and  on  the  fourth 
day  of  his  departure  from  Aguacay  he  came 
to  the  first  inhabited  place,  in  a  province  called 
Amaye.  There  they  took  an  Indian,  who 
said  that  thence  to  Naguatex  was  a  day  and  a 
half's  journey,  all  the  way  lying  through  an 
inhabited  region. 

Having  passed  out  of  Amaye,  on  Saturday, 
the  twentieth  of  July,1  between  that  place  and 
Naguatex,  at  mid-day,  along  a  clump  of  luxu 
riant  woods,  the  camp  was  seated.  From 
thence  Indians  being  seen,  who  had  come  to 
espy  them,  those  on  horseback  went  in  their 
pursuit,  killed  six,  and  captured  two.  The 
prisoners  being  asked  by  the  Governor  why 
they  had  come,  they  said,  to  discover  the 
numbers  he  had,  and  their  condition,  having 

1  Saturday  was  the  twenty-second  of  July.     (B.) 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

been  sent  by  their  lord,  the  Chief  of  Nagua- 
tex;  and  that  he,  with  other  caciques,  who 
came  in  his  company  and  his  cause,  had  de 
termined  on  giving  him  battle  that  day. 

While  thus  conferring,  many  Indians  ad 
vanced,  formed  in  two  squadrons,  who,  so 
soon  as  they  saw  that  they  were  descried, 
giving  whoops,  they  assailed  the  Christians 
with  great  fury,  each  on  a  different  quarter; 
but  finding  how  firm  was  the  resistance,  they 
turned,  and  fleeing,  many  lost  their  lives;  the 
greater  part  of  the  cavalry  pursuing  them, 
forgetful  of  the  camp,  when  those  that  re 
mained  were  attacked  by  other  two  squad 
rons,  that  had  lain  in  concealment,  who,  in 
their  turn,  having  been  withstood,  paid  the 
penalty  that  the  first  had  done. 

When  the  Christians  came  together,  after 
the  Indians  fled,  they  heard  loud  shouting, 
at  the  distance  of  a  crossbow-shot  from  where 
they  were;  and  the  Governor  sent  twelve 
cavalry  to  see  what  might  be  the  cause.  Six 
Christians  were  found  amidst  numerous  In 
dians,  two,  that  were  mounted,  defending  four 
on  foot,  with  great  difficulty;  and  they,  as 
well  as  those  who  went  to  their  succour, 
finally  ended  by  killing  many.  They  had 
got  lost  from  those  who  followed  after  the 
first  squadrons,  and,  in  returning  to  the 
camp,  fell  among  them  with  whom  they  were 
170 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

found  fighting.  One  Indian,  brought  back 
alive,  being  asked  by  the  Governor  who  they 
were  that  had  come  to  give  him  battle,  said 
the  Cacique  of  Naguatex,  the  one  of  Maye, 
and  another  of  a  province  called  Hacanac,  lord 
of  great  territories  and  numerous  vassals,  he 
of  Naguatex  being  in  command.  The  Gov 
ernor,  having  ordered  his  right  arm  to  be  cut 
off,  and  his  nose,  sent  him  to  the  Cacique, 
with  word  that  he  would  march  the  next  day 
into  his  territory  to  destroy  it,  and  that  if  he 
wished  to  dispute  his  entrance  to  await  him. 

The  Governor  stopped  there  that  night, 
and  the  following  day  he  came  to  the  habita 
tions  of  Naguatex,  which  were  much  scat 
tered,  and  having  asked  for  the  town  of  the 
Cacique,  he  was  told  that  it  stood  on  the  oppo 
site  side  of  a  river  near  by.  He  marched 
thitherward;  and  coming  to  the  river,  on  the 
other  bank  he  saw  many  Indians  awaiting  him, 
set  in  order  to  defend  the  passage;  but,  as  he 
did  not  know  whether  it  might  be  forded  or 
not,  nor  whereabouts  it  could  be  crossed,  and 
having  some  wounded  men  and  horses,  he  de 
termined  to  repose  for  some  time  in  the  town 
where  he  was,  until  they  should  be  healed. 

In  consequence  of  the  great  heats  that  pre 
vailed,  he  pitched  his  camp  a  quarter  of  a 
league  from  the  river,  in  a  fine  open  grove  of 
high  trees,  near  a  brook,  close  to  the  town. 
171 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

Some  Indians  taken  there,  having  been  asked 
if  the  river  was  fordable,  said  yes,  at  times  it 
was,  in  certain  places ;  on  the  tenth  day  he  sent 
two  captains,  each  with  fifteen  cavalry,  one 
up  and  the  other  down  the  stream,  with  guides 
to  show  where  they  might  get  over,  to  see 
what  towns  were  to  be  found  on  the  opposite 
side.  They  were  both  opposed  by  the  Indians, 
who  defended  the  passages  the  best  they  could ; 
but  these  being  taken  notwithstanding,  on  the 
other  shore  they  found  many  habitations,  with 
much  subsistence;  and  having  seen  this,  the 
detachments  went  back  to  the  camp. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII 

How  THE  CACIQUE  OF  NAGUATEX  CAME  TO  VISIT  THE 
GOVERNOR,    AND    HOW    THE    GOVERNOR    WENT 

THENCE,    AND    ARRIVED    AT    NONDACAO. 

FROM  Naguatex,  where  the  Governor  was, 
he  sent  a  message  to  the  Cacique,  that,  should 
he  come  to  serve  and  obey  him,  he  would  par 
don  the  past;  and  if  he  did  not,  he  would  go 
to  look  after  him,  and  would  inflict  the  chas 
tisement  he  deserved  for  what  he  had  done. 
At  the  end  of  two  days  the  Indian  got  back, 
bringing  word  that  to-morrow  the  Cacique 
would  come.  The  day  before  his  arrival,  the 
Chief  sent  many  Indians  in  advance  of  him, 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

among  whom  were  some  principal  men,  to  dis 
cover  in  what  mood  the  Governor  was,  and 
determine  whether  he  would  himself  come  or 
not.  They  went  back  directly  as  they  had  an 
nounced  his  approach,  the  Cacique  arriving  in 
a  couple  of  hours  afterward,  well  attended  by 
his  people.  They  came  one  before  another, 
in  double  file,  leaving  an  opening  through  the 
midst,  where  he  walked.  They  arrived  in  the 
Governor's  presence  weeping,  after  the  usage 
of  Tula  (thence  to  the  eastward  not  very  dis 
tant),  when  the  Chief,  making  his  proper 
obeisance,  thus  spoke: 

VERY  HIGH  AND  POWERFUL  LORD,  WHOM  ALL  THE 

EARTH  SHOULD  SERVE  AND  OBEY: 

I  venture  to  appear  before  you,  after  having  been 
guilty  of  so  great  and  bad  an  act,  that,  for  only 
having  thought  of  it,  I  merit  punishment.  Trust 
ing  in  your  greatness,  although  I  do  not  deserve 
pardon,  yet  for  your  own  dignity  you  will  show 
me  mercy,  having  regard  to  my  inferiority  in  com 
parison  with  you,  forgetting  my  weakness,  which 
to  my  sorrow,  and  for  my  greater  good,  I  have 
come  to  know. 

I  believe  that  you  and  yours  must  be  immortal; 
that  you  are  master  of  the  things  of  nature;  since 
you  subject  them  all,  and  they  obey  you,  even  the 
very  hearts  of  men.  Witnessing  the  slaughter  and 
destruction  of  my  men  in  battle,  which  came  of  my 
ignorance,  and  the  counsel  of  a  brother  of  mine, 
who  fell  in  the  action,  from  my  heart  did  I  re 
pent  the  error  that  I  committed,  and  directly  I 
173 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

desired  to  serve  and  obey  you:  wherefore  have  I 
come,  that  you  may  chastise  and  command  me 
as  your  own. 

The  Governor  replied,  that  the  past  would 
be  forgiven;  and  that,  should  he  thencefor 
ward  do  his  duty,  he  would  be  his  friend, 
favouring  him  in  all  matters. 

At  the  end  of  four  days  Luys  de  Moscoso 
set  forward,  and  arrived  at  a  river  he  could 
not  pass,  it  ran  so  full,  which  to  him  ap 
peared  wonderful  at  the  time,  more  than  a 
month  having  gone  by  since  there  had  been 
rain.  The  Indians  said,  that  it  often  in 
creased  in  that  manner,  without  there  being 
rain  anywhere,  in  all  the  country.  It  was 
supposed  to  be  caused  by  the  sea  entering  in; 
but  he  learned  that  the  water  always  flowed 
from  above,  and  that  the  Indians  nowhere 
had  any  information  of  the  sea. 

The  Governor  returned  back  to  where  he 
had  been  the  last  days;  and,  at  the  end  of 
eight  more,  understanding  that  the  river  might 
then  be  crossed,  he  left,  and  passed  over  to  the 
other  bank,  where  he  found  houses,  but  no 
people.  He  lodged  out  in  the  fields,  and  sent 
word  to  the  Cacique  to  come  where  he  was, 
and  to  give  him  a  guide  to  go  on  with.  After 
some  days,  finding  that  the  Cacique  did  not 
come,  nor  send  any  one,  he  dispatched  two 
captains,  each  of  them  in  a  different  direction, 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

to  set  fire  to  the  towns,  and  seize  the  people 
that  might  be  found.  They  burned  much  pro 
vision,  and  captured  many  Indians.  The  Ca 
cique,  seeing  the  damage  his  territories  were 
receiving,  sent  five  principal  men  to  Moscoso, 
with  three  guides,  who  understood  the 
language  farther  on,  whither  he  would  go. 

Directly  the  Governor  set  out  from  Nagua- 
tex,  arriving,  on  the  third  day,  at  a  hamlet 
of  four  or  five  houses,  belonging  to  the  Ca 
cique  of  the  poor  province  named  Nissohone, 
a  thinly  peopled  country,  having  little  maize. 
Two  days'  journey  on  the  way,  the  Indians 
who  guided  the  Governor,  in  place  of  taking 
him  to  the  west,  would  lead  him  to  the  east, 
and  at  times  they  went  through  heavy  thickets, 
out  of  the  road :  in  consequence,  he  ordered 
that  they  should  be  hanged  upon  a  tree.  A 
woman,  taken  in  Nissohone,  served  as  the 
guide,  who  went  back  to  find  the  road. 

In  two  days'  time  the  Governor  came  to 
another  miserable  country,  called  Lacane.  An 
Indian  was  taken,  who  said  the  land  of  Non- 
dacao  was  very  populous,  the  houses  much  scat 
tered,  as  in  mountainous  regions,  and  there 
was  plenty  of  maize.  The  Cacique  came  with 
his  Indians,  weeping,  as  those  of  Naguatex 
had  done,  which  is,  according  to  their  custom, 
significant  of  obedience;  and  he  made  a  pres 
ent  of  much  fish,  offering  to  do  whatsoever 
175 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

might  be  required  of  him.  He  took  his  de 
parture,  leaving  a  guide  for  the  Province  of 
Soacatino. 

CHAPTER    XXXIIII 

How  THE  GOVERNOR  MARCHED  FROM  NONDACAO  TO 
SOACATINO  AND  GUASCO,  PASSING  THROUGH  A 
WILDERNESS,  WHENCE,  FOR  WANT  OF  A  GUIDE 
AND  INTERPRETER,  HE  RETIRED  TO  NILCO. 

THE  Governor  set  out  from  Nondacao  for 
Soacatino,  and  on  the  fifth  day  came  to  a  prov 
ince  called  Aays.  The  inhabitants  had  never 
heard  of  the  Christians.  So  soon  as  they  ob 
served  them  entering  the  territory  the  people 
were  called  out,  who,  as  fast  as  they  could  get 
together,  came  by  fifties  and  hundreds  on  the 
road,  to  give  battle.  While  some  encountered 
us,  others  fell  upon  our  rear;  and  when  we 
followed  up  those,  these  pursued  us.  The 
attack  continued  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  day,  until  we  arrived  at  their  town.  Some 
men  were  injured,  and  some  horses,  but  noth 
ing  so  as  to  hinder  travel,  there  being  not 
one  dangerous  wound  among  all.  The  In 
dians  suffered  great  slaughter. 

The  day  on  which  the  Governor  departed, 

the  guide  told  him  he  had  heard  it  said  in 

Nondacao,  that  the  Indians  of  Soacatino  had 

seen  other  Christians;  at  which  we  were  all 

176 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

delighted,  thinking  it  might  be  true,  and  that 
they  could  have  come  by  the  way  of  New 
Spain ;  for  if  it  were  so,  finding  nothing  in 
Florida  of  value,  we  should  be  able  to  go 
out  of  it,  there  being  fear  we  might  perish 
in  some  wilderness.  The  Governor,  having 
been  led  for  two  days  out  of  the  way,  ordered 
that  the  Indian  be  put  to  the  torture,  when  he 
confessed  that  his  master,  the  Cacique  of 
Nondacao,  had  ordered  him  to  take  them  in 
that  manner,  we  being  his  enemies,  and  he, 
as  his  vassal,  was  bound  to  obey  him.  He 
was  commanded  to  be  cast  to  the  dogs,  and 
another  Indian  guided  us  to  Soacatino,  where 
we  came  the  following  day. 

The  country  was  very  poor,  and  the  want  of 
maize  was  greatly  felt.  The  natives  being 
asked  if  they  had  any  knowledge  of  other 
Christians,  said  they  had  heard  that  near  there, 
towards  the  south,  such  men  were  moving 
about.  For  twenty  days  the  march  was 
through  a  very  thinly  peopled  country,  where 
great  privation  and  toil  were  endured;  the 
little  maize  there  was,  the  Indians  having 
buried  in  the  scrub,  where  the  Christians,  at 
the  close  of  the  day's  march,  when  they  were 
well  weary,  went  trailing,  to  seek  for  \vhat 
they  had  need  of  it  to  eat. 

Arrived  at  a  province  called  Guasco,  they 
found  maize,  with  which  they  loaded  the 
177 


NARRATIVES   OP   DE   SOTO 

horses  and  the  Indians;  thence  they  went  to 
another  settlement,  called  Naquiscoga,  the  in 
habitants  of  which  said  that  they  had  no 
knowledge  of  any  other  Christians.  The  Gov 
ernor  ordered  them  put  to  torture,  when  they 
stated  that  farther  on,  in  the  territories  of 
another  chief,  called  Nagacahoz,  the  Chris 
tians  had  arrived,  and  gone  back  toward  the 
west,  whence  they  came.  He  reached  there 
in  two  days,  and  took  some  women,  among 
whom  was  one  who  said  that  she  had  seen 
Christians,  and,  having  been  in  their  hands, 
had  made  her  escape  from  them.  The  Gov 
ernor  sent  a  captain  with  fifteen  cavalry  to 
where  she  said  they  were  seen,  to  discover  if 
there  were  any  marks  of  horses,  or  signs  of 
any  Christians  having  been  there;  and  after 
travelling  three  or  four  leagues,  she  who  was 
the  guide  declared  that  all  she  had  said  was 
false ;  and  so  it  was  deemed  of  everything  else 
the  Indians  had  told  of  having  seen  Christians 
in  Florida. 

As  the  region  thereabout  was  scarce  of 
maize,  and  no  information  could  be  got  of 
any  inhabited  country  to  the  west,  the  Gov 
ernor  went  back  to  Guasco.  The  residents 
stated,  that  ten  days'  journey  from  there, 
toward  the  sunset,  was  a  river  called  Daycao, 
whither  they  sometimes  went  to  drive  and  kill 
deer,  and  whence  they  had  seen  persons  on 
178 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

the  other  bank,  but  without  knowing  what 
people  they  were.  The  Christians  took  as 
much  maize  as  they  could  find,  to  carry  with 
them;  and  journeying  ten  days  through  a 
wilderness,  they  arrived  at  the  river  of  which 
the  Indians  had  spoken.  Ten  horsemen  sent 
in  advance  by  the  Governor  had  crossed;  and, 
following  a  road  leading  up  from  the  bank, 
they  came  upon  an  encampment  of  Indians 
living  in  very  small  huts,  who,  directly  as  they 
saw  the  Christians,  took  to  flight,  leaving 
what  they  had,  indications  only  of  poverty 
and  misery.  So  wretched  was  the  country, 
that  what  was  found  everywhere,  put  together, 
was  not  half  an  alqueire  of  maize.  Taking 
two  natives,  they  went  back  to  the  river,  where 
the  Governor  waited ;  and  on  coming  to  ques 
tion  the  captives,  to  ascertain  what  towns  there 
might  be  to  the  west,  no  Indian  was  found  in 
the  camp  who  knew  their  language. 

The  Governor  commanded  the  captains  and 
principal  personages  to  be  called  together  that 
he  might  determine  now  by  their  opinions  what 
was  best  to  do.  The  majority  declared  it 
their  judgment  to  return  to  the  River  Grande 
of  Guachoya,  because  in  Anilco  and  there 
about  was  much  maize;  that  during  the 
winter  they  would  build  brigantines,  and  the 
following  spring  go  down  the  river  in  them 
in  quest  of  the  sea,  where  having  arrived,  they 
179 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

would  follow  the  coast  thence  along  to  New 
Spain, — an  enterprise  which,  although  it  ap 
peared  to  be  one  difficult  to  accomplish,  yet 
from  their  experience  it  offered  the  only 
course  to  be  pursued.  They  could  not  travel 
by  land,  for  want  of  an  interpreter;  and  they 
considered  the  country  farther  on,  beyond  the 
River  Daycao,  on  which  they  were,  to  be  that 
which  Cabega  de  Vaca  had  said  in  his  narra 
tive  should  have  to  be  traversed,  where  the 
Indians  wandered  like  Arabs,  having  no 
settled  place  of  residence,  living  on  prickly 
pears,  the  roots  of  plants,  and  game;  and  that 
if  this  should  be  so,  and  they,  entering  upon 
that  tract,  found  no  provision  for  sustenance 
during  winter,  they  must  inevitably  perish, 
it  being  already  the  beginning  of  October;  and 
if  they  remained  any  longer  where  they  were, 
what  with  rains  and  snow,  they  should  neither 
be  able  to  fall  back,  nor,  in  a  land  so  poor  as 
that,  to  subsist. 

The  Governor,  who  longed  to  be  again 
where  he  could  get  his  full  measure  of  sleep, 
rather  than  govern  and  go  conquering  a 
country  so  beset  for  him  with  hardships, 
directly  returned,  getting  back  from  whence 
he  came. 


1 80 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

CHAPTER     XXXV 

How   THE    CHRISTIANS    RETURNED    TO    NILCO,    AND 

THENCE  WENT  TO  MlNOYA,  WHERE  THEY  PRE 
PARED  TO  BUILD  VESSELS  IN  WHICH  TO  LEAVE 
FLORIDA. 

WHEN  what  had  been  determined  on  was 
proclaimed  in  the  camp,  many  were  greatly 
disheartened.  They  considered  the  voyage  by 
sea  to  be  very  hazardous,  because  of  their  poor 
subsistence,  and  as  perilous  as  was  the  journey 
by  land,  whereon  they  had  looked  to  find  a 
rich  country,  before  coming  to  the  soil  of  the 
Christians.  This  was  according  to  what 
Cabega  de  Vaca  told  the  Emperor,  that  after 
seeing  cotton  cloth,  wrould  be  found  gold, 
silver,  and  stones  of  much  value,  and  they  were 
not  yet  come  to  where  he  had  wandered;  for 
before  arriving  there,  he  had  always  travelled 
along  the  coast,  and  they  were  marching  far 
within  the  land ;  hence  by  keeping  toward  the 
west  they  must  unavoidably  come  to  where 
he  had  been,  as  he  said  that  he  had  gone  about 
in  a  certain  region  a  long  time,  and  marched 
northward  into  the  interior.  Now,  in  Guasco, 
they  had  already  found  some  turkoises,  and 
shawls  of  cotton,  which  the  Indians  gave  them 
to  understand,  by  signs,  were  brought  from 
the  direction  of  the  sunset;  so  that  they  who 
181 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

should  take  that  course  must  approach  the 
country  of  Christians. 

There  was  likewise  much  other  discontent. 
Many  grieved  to  go  back,  and  would  rather 
have  continued  to  run  the  peril  of  their  lives 
than  leave  Florida  poor.  They  were  not  equal, 
however,  to  changing  what  was  resolved  on, 
as  the  persons  of  importance  agreed  with  the 
Governor.  There  was  one,  nevertheless,  who 
said  afterwards  that  he  would  willingly  pluck 
out  an  eye,  to  put  out  another  for  Luys  de 
Moscoso,  so  greatly  \vould  he  grieve  to  see 
him  prosper;  with  such  bitterness  did  he  in 
veigh  against  him  and  some  of  his  friends, 
which  he  would  not  have  dared  to  do,  only 
he  knew  that  in  a  couple  of  days  from  that 
time  the  government  would  have  to  be  re 
linquished. 

From  Daycao,  where  they  were,  to  the  Rio 
Grande,  was  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  leagues,  towards  which  they  had  marched 
always  westwardly;  and,  as  they  returned 
over  the  way,  with  great  difficulty  could  they 
find  maize  to  eat;  for,  wheresoever  they  had 
passed,  the  country  lay  devastated,  and  the. 
little  that  was  left,  the  Indians  had  now 
hidden.  The  towns  they  had  burned  in 
Naguatex,  of  which  they  had  repented,  they, 
found  already  rebuilt,  and  the  houses  full  of 
maize,  That  country  is  populous  and  abun- 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

dant.  Pottery  is  made  there  of  clay,  little  dif 
fering  from  that  of  Estremoz  or  Montemor. 

To  Chaguate,  by  command  of  the  Cacique, 
the  Indians  came  in  peace,  and  said,  that  the 
Christian  who  had  remained  there  would  not 
come.  The  Governor  wrote  to  him,  sending 
ink  and  paper,  that  he  might  answer.  The 
purport  of  the  letter  stated  his  determination 
to  leave  Florida,  reminded  him  of  his  being  a 
Christian,  and  that  he  was  unwilling  to  leave 
him  among  heathen ;  that  he  would  pardon  the 
error  he  had  committed  in  going  to  the  In 
dians,  should  he  return;  and  that  if  they 
should  wish  to  detain  him,  to  let  the  Governor 
know  by  writing.  The  Indian  who  took  the 
letter  came  back,  bringing  no  other  response 
than  the  name  and  rubric  of  the  person  written 
on  the  back,  to  signify  that  he  was  alive.  The 
Governor  sent  twelve  mounted  men  after  him ; 
but,  having  his  watchers,  he  so  hid  himself 
that  he  could  not  be  found.  For  want  of 
maize  the  Governor  could  not  tarry  longer 
to  look  for  him;  so  he  left  Chaguete,  crossed 
the  river  at  Aays,  and  following  it  down,  he 
discovered  a  town  which  they  had  not  seen 
before,  called  Chilano. 

They  came  to  Nilco,  where  the  Governor 

found    so    little    maize,    that    there   was    not 

enough  to  last  while  they  made  the  vessels; 

for  during  seed-time,   while  the  Christians 

.183 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

were  in  Guachoya,  the  Indians,  in  fear  of 
them,  had  not  dared  to  come  and  plant  the 
grounds;  and  no  other  land  about  there  was 
known  to  have  maize,  that  being  the  most 
fertile  region  of  the  vicinity,  and  where  they 
had  the  most  hope  of  finding  sustenance. 
Everybody  was  confounded. 

Many  thought  it  bad  counsel  to  have  come 
back  from  the  Daycao,  and  not  to  have  taken 
the  risk  of  continuing  in  the  way  they  were 
going  by  land;  as  it  seemed  impossible  they 
should  escape  by  sea,  unless  a  miracle  might 
be  wrought  for  them;  for  there  was  neither 
pilot  nor  sea-chart;  they  knew  not  where  the 
river  entered  the  sea,  nor  of  the  sea  could  they 
get  any  information ;  they  had  nothing  out  of 
which  to  make  sails,  nor  for  rope  a  sufficiency 
of  enequen  (a  grass  growing  there,  which  is 
like  hemp),  and  what  they  did  find  was  saved 
for  calk;  nor  was  there  wherewith  to  pitch 
them.  Neither  could  they  build  vessels  of 
such  strength  that  any  accident  might  not  put 
them  in  jeopardy  of  life;  and  they  greatly 
feared  what  befell  Narvaez,  who  was  lost  on 
the  coast,  might  happen  to  them  also.  But 
the  most  of  all  they  feared  was  the  want  of 
maize ;  for  without  that  they  could  not  support 
themselves,  or  do  anything  they  would.  All 
were  in  great  dismay. 

The  Christians  chose   to  commend   them- 
184 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

selves  to  God  for  relief,  and  beseech  Him  to 
point  them  out  a  way  by  which  they  might 
be  saved.  By  His  Goodness  He  was  pleased 
that  the  people  of  Anilco  should  come  peace 
fully,  and  state  that  two  days'  journey  thence, 
near  the  River  Grande,  were  two  towns  of 
which  the  Christians  had  not  heard,  in  a 
fertile  country  named  Aminoya;  but  whether 
it  then  contained  maize  or  not,  they  were 
unable  to  tell,  as  they  were  at  war  with  those 
places;  they  would  nevertheless  be  greatly 
pleased  to  go  and  destroy  them,  with  the  aid 
of  the  Christians.  The  Governor  sent  a  cap 
tain  thither,  with  horsemen  and  footmen,  and 
the  Indians  of  Anilco.  Arriving  at  Aminoya, 
he  found  two  large  towns  in  a  level,  open 
field,  half  a  league  apart,  in  sight  of  each 
other,  where  he  captured  many  persons,  and 
found  a  large  quantity  of  maize.  He  took 
lodging  in  one  of  the  towns,  and  directly  sent 
a  message  to  the  Governor  concerning  what 
he  had  found,  with  which  all  were  well  con 
tent.  They  set  out  from  Anilco  in  the  be 
ginning  of  December,  and  on  that  march,  as 
well  as  before  coming  there  from  Chilano, 
they  underwent  great  exposure ;  for  they  passed 
through  much  water,  and  rain  fell  many  times, 
bringing  a  north  wind,  with  severe  cold,  so 
that  when  in  the  field  they  had  the  water  both 
above  and  below  them;  and  if  at  the  end  of  a 
185 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

day's  journey  they  found  dry  ground  to  lie 
upon,  they  had  occasion  to  be  thankful.  In 
these  hardships  nearly  all  the  Indians  in 
service  died,  and  also  many  Christians,  after 
coming  to  Aminoya;  the  greater  number  being 
sick  of  severe  and  dangerous  diseases,  marked 
with  inclination  to  lethargy.  Andre  de  Vas- 
concelos  died  there,  and  two  Portugues 
brothers  of  Elvas,  near  of  kin  to  him,  by  the 
name  of  Soti. 

The  Christians  chose  for  their  quarters  what 
appeared  to  be  the  best  town:  it  was  stockaded, 
and  stood  a  quarter  of  a  league  distant  from 
the  Rio  Grande.  The  maize  that  lay  in  the 
other  town  \vas  brought  there,  and  when 
together  the  quantity  was  estimated  to  be  six 
thousand  fanegas.  For  the  building  of  ships 
better  timber  was  found  than  had  been  seen 
elsewhere  in  all  Florida;  on  which  account,  all 
rendered  many  thanks  to  God  for  so  signal 
mercy,  encouraging  the  hope  in  them,  that  they 
should  be  successful  in  their  wish  to  reach  a 
shore  of  Christians. 

CHAPTER    XXXVI 

How  SEVEN  BRIGANTINES  WERE  BUILT,  AND  THE 
CHRISTIANS  TOOK  THEIR  DEPARTURE  FROM  AMI 
NOYA. 

So  soon  as  the  Christians  arrived  in  Ami 
noya,  the  Governor  commanded  the  chains  tQ 
186 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

be  collected  which  every  one  brought  along 
for  Indians,  the  iron  in  shot,  and  what  was 
in  the  camp.  He  ordered  a  furnace  to  be  set 
up  for  making  spikes,  and  likewise  timber  to 
be  cut  down  for  the  brigantines.  A  Portu- 
gues,  of  Ceuta,  had  learned  to  saw  lumber 
while  a  captive  in  Fez;  and  saws  had  been 
brought  for  that  purpose,  with  which  he  taught 
others,  who  assisted  him.  A  Genoese,  whom 
God  had  been  pleased  to  spare  (as  without 
him  we  could  not  have  gone  away,  there  being 
not  another  person  who  knew  how  to  con 
struct  vessels),  built  the  brigantines  with  the 
help  of  four  or  five  Biscayan  carpenters,  who 
hewed  the  plank  and  ribs  for  him ;  and  two 
calkers,  one  a  Genoese,  the  other  a  Sardinian, 
closed  them  up  with  the  oakum,  got  from  a 
plant  like  hemp,  called  enequen,  of  which  I 
have  before  spoken;  but  from  its  scarcity  the 
flax  of  the  country  was  likewise  used,  as  well 
as  the  ravellings  of  shawls.  The  cooper 
sickened  to  the  point  of  death,  and  there  was 
not  another  workman;  but  God  was  pleased 
to  give  him  health,  and  notwithstanding  he 
was  very  thin,  and  unfit  to  labour,  fifteen  days 
before  the  vessels  sailed,  he  had  made  for  each 
of  them  two  of  the  half-hogsheads  sailors  call 
quartos,  four  of  them  holding  a  pipe  of 
water. 

The  Indians  of  a  province  called  Tagoanate, 
187 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

two  days'  journey  up  the  river,  likewise  those 
of  Anilco  and  Guachoya,  and  other  neighbour 
ing  people,  seeing  the  vessels  were  building, 
thought,  as  their  places  of  concealment  were 
by  the  water's  side,  that  it  was  the  purpose  to 
come  in  quest  of  them;  and  because  the  Gov 
ernor  had  asked  for  shawls,  as  necessary  out  of 
which  to  make  sails,  they  came  often,  and 
brought  many,  as  likewise  a  great  deal  of  fish, 

Of  a  verity,  it  did  appear  that  God  chose  to 
favour  the  Christians  in  their  extreme  need, 
disposing  the  Indians  to  bring  the  garments; 
otherwise,  there  had  been  no  way  but  to  go 
and  fetch  them.  Then  the  town  where  they 
were,  as  soon  as  the  winter  should  set  in, 
would  become  so  surrounded  by  water,  and 
isolated,  that  no  one  could  travel  from  it  by 
land  farther  than  a  league,  or  a  league  and  a 
half,  when  the  horses  could  no  longer  be  used. 
Without  them  we  were  unable  to  contend,  the 
Indians  being  so  numerous;  besides,  man  to 
man  on  foot,  whether  in  the  water  or  on  dry 
ground,  they  were  superior,  being  more  skilful 
and  active,  and  the  conditions  of  the  country 
more  favourable  to  the  practice  of  their  war 
fare. 

They  also  brought  us  ropes;  and  the  cables 
needed  were  made  from  the  bark  of  the  mul 
berry-trees.  Anchors  were  made  of  stirrups, 
for  which  others  of  wood  were  substituted. 
188 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

In  March,  more  than  a  month  having  passed 
since  rain  fell,  the  river  became  so  enlarged 
that  it  reached  Nilco,  nine  leagues  off;  and 
the  Indians  said,  that  on  the  opposite  side  it 
also  extended  an  equal  distance  over  the 
country. 

The  ground  whereon  the  town  stood  was 
higher,  and  where  the  going  was  best,  the 
water  reached  to  the  stirrups.  Rafts  were 
made  of  trees,  upon  which  were  placed  many 
boughs,  whereon  the  horses  stood;  and  in  the 
houses  were  like  arrangements;  yet,  even  this 
not  proving  sufficient,  the  people  ascended  into 
the  lofts;  and  when  they  went  out  of  the 
houses  it  was  in  canoes,  or,  if  on  horseback, 
they  went  in  places  where  the  earth  was 
highest. 

Such  was  our  situation  for  two  months,  in 
which  time  the  river  did  not  fall,  and  no  work 
could  be  done.  The  natives,  coming  in  canoes, 
did  not  cease  to  visit  the  brigantines.  The 
Governor,  fearing  they  would  attack  him  in 
that  time,  ordered  one  of  those  coming  to  the 
town  to  be  secretly  seized,  and  kept  until  the 
rest  were  gone;  which  being  done,  he  directed 
that  the  prisoner  should  be  tortured,  in  order 
to  draw  out  from  him  any  plotting  of  treason 
that  might  exist.  The  captive  said,  that  the 
Caciques  of  Nilco,  Guachoya,  Taguanate,  and 
others,  in  all  some  twenty,  had  determined  to 
189 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

come  upon  him,  with  a  great  body  of  people. 
Three  days  before  they  should  do  so,  the  better 
to  veil  their  .evil  purpose  and  perfidy,  they 
were  to  send  a  present  of  fish ;  and  on  the  day 
itself,  another  present  was  to  be  sent  in  ad 
vance  of  them,  by  some  Indians,  who,  with 
others  in  the  conspiracy,  that  were  serving, 
should  set  fire  to  the  houses,  after  getting  pos 
session  of  the  lances  placed  near  the  doors  of 
the  dwellings,  when  the  Caciques,  with  all' 
their  people,  being  concealed  in  the  thicket 
nigh  the  town,  on  seeing  the  flame,  should 
hasten  to  make  an  end  ot  them. 

The  Governor  ordered  the  Indian  to  be  put 
in  a  chain;  and  on  the  day  that  was  stated, 
thirty  men  having  come  with  fish,  he  com 
manded  their  right  hands  to  be  cut  off,  send 
ing  word  by  them  to  the  Cacique  of  Guachoya, 
whose  they  were,  that  he  and  his  might  come 
when  they  pleased,  he  desired  nothing  better, 
but  they  should  learn  that  they  could  not  think 
of  a  thing  that  he  did  not  know  their  thought 
before  them.  At  this  they  were  all  greatly 
terrified;  the  Caciques  of  Nilco  and  Tagua- 
nate  came  to  make  excuses,  and  a  few  days 
after  came  the  Cacique  of  Guachoya,  with  a 
principal  Indian,  his  vassal,  stating  that  he 
had  certain  information  of  an  agreement  be 
tween  the  Caciques  of  Nilco  and  Taguanate 
to  come  and  give  the  Christians  battle. 
190 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

So  soon  as  some  Indians  arrived  from  Nilco, 
the  Governor  questioned  them,  and  they  con 
firming  what  was  said,  he  delivered  them  at 
once  to  the  principal  Indian  of  Guachoya,  who 
took  them  out  of  the  town  and  killed  them. 
The  next  day  came  others  from  Taguanate, 
who  likewise  having  confessed,  the  Governor 
commanded  that  their  right  hands  and  their 
noses  should  be  cut  off,  and  he  sent  them  to 
the  Cacique.  With  this  procedure  the  people 
of  Guachoya  were  well  satisfied,  and  often 
came  with  presents  of  shawls  and  fish,  and  of 
hogs,  which  were  the  breeding  of  some  sows 
lost  there  the  year  before.  Having  persuaded 
the  Governor  to  send  people  to  Taguanate,  so 
soon  as  the  waters  fell,  they  brought  canoes, 
in  which  infantry  went  down  the  river,  and  a 
captain  proceeded  by  land  with  cavalry;  and 
having  guided  them  until  they  came  to  Tagua 
nate,  the  Christians  assaulted  the  town,  took 
many  men  and  women,  and  shawls,  which, 
with  what  they  had  already,  sufficed  for  their 
want. 

In  the  month  of  June  the  brigantines  were 
finished,  and  the  Indians  having  stated  that 
the  river  rose  but  once  in  the  year,  which  was 
with  the  melting  of  snow,  that  had  already 
passed,  it  being  now  summer,  and  a  long  time 
since  rain  had  fallen,  God  was  pleased  that  the 
water  should  come  up  to  the  town,  where  the 
191 


NARRATIVES  OF  DE  SOTO 

vessels  were,  whence  they  floated  into  the  river  ; 
for  had  they  been  taken  over  ground,  there 
would  have  been  danger  of  tearing  open  the 
bottoms,  thereby  entirely  wrecking  them,  the 
planks  being  thin,  and  the  spikes  made  short 
for  the  lack  of  iron. 

In  the  time  that  the  Christians  were  there, 
the  people  of  Aminoya  came  to  offer  their  serv 
ice,  being  compelled  by  hunger  to  beg  some 
ears  of  that  corn  which  had  been  taken  from 
them.  As  the  country  was  fertile,  they  were 
accustomed  to  subsist  on  maize;  and  as  all 
that  they  possessed  had  been  seized,  and  the 
population  was  numerous,  they  could  not 
exist.  Those  who  came  to  the  town  were 
weak,  and  so  lean  that  they  had  not  flesh  on 
their  bones,  and  many  died  near  by,  of  clear 
hunger  and  debility.  The  Governor  ordered, 
under  pain  of  heavy  punishments,  that  maize 
should  not  be  given  to  them ;  still,  when  it  was 
seen  that  they  were  willing  to  work,  and  that 
the  hogs  had  a  plenty,  the  men,  pitying  their 
misery  and  destitution,  would  share  their  grain 
with  them;  so  that  when  the  time  arrived  for 
departure,  there  was  not  enough  left  to  answer 
for  what  was  needed.  That  which  remained 
was  put  into  the  brigantines  and  the  great 
canoes,  which  were  tied  together  in  couples. 
Twenty-two  horses  were  taken  on  board,  being 
the  best  there  were  in  the  camp;  the  flesh  of 
193 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

the  rest  was  jerked,  as  was  also  that  of  the 
hogs  that  remained.  On  the  second  day  of 
July,  of  the  year  one  thousand  five  hundred 
and  forty-three,  we  took  our  departure  from 
Aminoya. 

CHAPTER    XXXVII 

How  THE  CHRISTIANS,  ON  THEIR  VOYAGE,  WERE  AT 
TACKED  IN  THE  RlVER,  BY  THE  INDIANS  OF 
QUIGUALTAM,  AND  WHAT  HAPPENED. 

THE  day  before  the  Christians  left  Ami 
noya,  it  was  determined  to  dismiss  the  men 
and  women  that  were  serving,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  some  hundred  slaves,  more  or  less, 
put  on  board  by  the  Governor,  and  by  those 
he  favoured.  As  there  were  many  persons 
of  condition,  whom  he  could  not  refuse  what 
he  allowed  to  others,  he  made  use  of  an  artifice, 
saying,  that  while  they  should  be  going  down 
the  river  they  might  have  the  use  of  them; 
but  on  coming  to  the  sea  they  would  have  to 
be  left,  because  of  the  necessity  for  water,  and 
there  were  but  few  casks;  while  he  secretly 
told  his  friends  to  take  the  slaves,  that  they 
would  carry  them  to  New  Spain.  All  those 
to  whom  he  bore  ill-will,  the  greater  number, 
not  suspecting  his  concealment  from  them, 
which  after  a  while  appeared,  thought  it  in 
human  for  so  short  service,  in  return  for  so 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

much  as  the  natives  had  done,  to  take  them 
away,  to  be  left  captives  out  of  their  territories, 
in  the  hands  of  other  Indians,  abandoning  five 
hundred  males  and  females,  among  whom  were 
many  boys  and  girls  who  understood  and 
spoke  Spanish.  The  most  of  them  wept, 
which  caused  great  compassion,  as  they  were 
all  Christians  of  their  own  free  will,  and  were 
now  to  remain  lost. 

In  seven  brigantines  went  three  hundred 
and  twenty-two  Spaniards  from  Aminoya. 
The  vessels  were  of  good  build,  except  that 
the  planks  were  thin,  on  account  of  the  short 
ness  of  the  spikes;  and  they  were  not  pitched, 
nor  had  they  decks  to  shed  the  water  that 
might  enter  them,  but  planks  were  placed 
instead,  upon  which  the  manners  might  run 
to  fasten  the  sails,  and  the  people  accommodate 
themselves  above  and  below. 

The  Governor  appointed  his  captains,  giv 
ing  to  each  of  them  his  brigantine,  taking 
their  word  and  oath  to  obey  him  until  they 
should  come  to  the  land  of  Christians.  He 
chose  for  himself  the  brigantine  he  liked  best. 
On  the  day  of  his  departure  they  passed  by 
Guachoya,  where  the  Indians,  in  canoes,  were 
waiting  for  them  in  the  river,  having  made 
a  great  arbour  on  the  shore,  to  which  they 
invited  him,  but  he  made  excuse,  and  passed 
along.  They  accompanied  him  until  arriving 
194. 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

where  an  arm  of  the  river  extends  to  the 
right,  near  which  they  said  was  Quigualtam; 
and  they  importuned  him  to  go  and  make  war 
upon  it,  offering  their  assistance.  As  they 
told  him  there  were  three  days'  journey  'down 
the  river  to  that  province,  suspecting  they  had 
arranged  some  perfidy, he  dismissed  them  thero; 
then,  submitting  himself  to  where  lay  the 
full  strength  of  the  stream,  went  his  voyage, 
driven  on  rapidly  by  the  power  of  the  current 
and  aid  of  oars. 

On  the  first  day  they  came  to  land  in  a 
clump  of  trees,  by  the  left  bank,  and  at  dark 
they  retired  to  the  vessels.  The  following 
day  they  came  to  a  town,  where  they  went  on 
shore,  but  the  occupants  dared  not  tarry  for 
them.  A  woman  who  was  captured,  being 
questioned,  said  the  town  was  that  of  a  chief 
named  Huhasene,  a  subject  of  Quigualtam, 
who,  with  a  great  many  people,  was  waiting 
for  them.  Mounted  men  went  down  the 
river,  and  finding  some  houses,  in  which  was 
much  maize,  immediately  the  rest  followed. 
They  tarried  there  a  day,  in  which  they  shelled 
and  got  ready  as  much  maize  as  was  needed. 
In  this  time  many  Indians  came  up  the  river 
in  canoes;  and,  on  the  opposite  side,  in  front, 
somewhat  carelessly  put  themselves  in  order 
of  battle.  The  Governor  sent  after  them 
the  crossbow-men  he  had  with  him,  in  two 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

canoes,  and  as  many  other  persons  as  they 
could  hold,  when  the  Indians  fled ;  but,  seeing 
the  Spaniards  were  unable  to  overtake  them, 
returning,  they  took  courage,  and,  coming 
nearer,  menaced  them  with  loud  yells.  So 
soon  as  the  Christians  retired,  they  were  fol 
lowed  by  some  in  canoes,  and  others  on  land, 
along  the  river;  and,  getting  before  them, 
arrived  at  a  town  near  the  river's  bluff,  where 
they  united,  as  if  to  make  a  stand.  Into  each 
canoe,  for  every  brigantine  was  towing  one  at 
the  stern  for  its  service,  directly  entered  some 
men,  who,  causing  the  Indians  to  take  flight, 
burned  the  town.  Soon  after,  on  the  same 
day,  they  went  on  shore  in  a  large  open  field, 
where  the  Indians  dared  not  await  their  ar 
rival. 

The  next  day  a  hundred  canoes  came  to 
gether,  having  from  sixty  to  seventy  persons 
in  them,  those  of  the  principal  men  having 
awnings,  and  themselves  wearing  white  and 
coloured  plumes,  for  distinction.  They  came 
within  two  crossbow-shot  of  the  brigantines, 
and  sent  a  message  in  a  small  canoe,  by  three 
Indians,  to  the  intent  of  learning  the  character 
of  the  vessels,  and  the  weapons  that  we  use. 
Arriving  at  the  brigantine  of  the  Governor, 
one  of  the  messengers  got  in,  and  said  that  he 
had  been  sent  by  the  Cacique  of  Quigaltam, 
their  lord,  to  commend  him,  and  to  make 
196 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

known  that  whatever  the  Indians  of  Guachoya 
had  spoken  of  him  was  falsely  said,  they  being 
his  enemies;  that  the  Chief  was  his  servant, 
and  wished  to  be  so  considered.  The  Gov 
ernor  told  him  that  he  believed  all  that  he 
had  stated  to  be  true;  to  say  so  to  him, 
and  that  he  greatly  esteemed  him  for  his 
friendship. 

With  this  the  messengers  went  to  where 
the  others,  in  the  canoes,  were  waiting  for 
them;  and  thence  they  all  came  down  yelling, 
and  approached  the  Spaniards  with  threats. 
The  Governor  sent  Juan  de  Guzman,  captain 
of  foot,  in  the  canoes,  with  twenty-five  men 
in  armour,  to  drive  them  out  of  the  way.  So 
soon  as  they  were  seen  coming,  the  Indians, 
formed  in  two  parts,  remained  quietly  until 
they  were  come  up  with,  when,  closing,  they 
took  Juan  de  Guzman,  and  those  who  came 
ahead  with  him,  in  their  midst,  and,  with 
great  fury,  closed  hand  to  hand  with  them. 
Their  canoes  were  larger  than  his,  and  many 
leaped  into  the  water — some  to  support  them, 
others  to  lay  hold  of  the  canoes  of  the  Span 
iards,  to  cause  them  to  capsize  which  was 
presently  accomplished,  the  Christians  falling 
into  the  water,  and,  by  the  weight  of  their 
armour,  going  to  the  bottom;  or  when  one  by 
swimming,  or  clinging  to  a  canoe,  could  sus 
tain  himself,  they  with  paddles  and  clubs, 
197 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

striking  him   on   the  head,   would   send   him 
below. 

When  those  in  the  brigantines  who  wit 
nessed  the  defeat  desired  to  render  succour,  the 
force  of  the  stream  would  not  allow  them  to 
return.  One  brigantine,  which  was  that  nigh- 
est  to  the  canoes,  saved  four  men,  who  were 
all  of  those  that  went  after  the  Indians  who 
escaped.  Eleven  lost  their  lives ;  among  whom 
was  Juan  de  Guzman  and  a  son  of  Don  Carlos, 
named  Juan  de  Vargas.  The  greater  num 
ber  of  the  others  were  also  men  of  considera 
tion  and  of  courage.  Those  who  escaped  by 
swimming  said,  that  they  saw  the  Indians 
get  into  the  stern  of  one  of  their  canoes  with 
Juan  de  Guzman,  but  whether  he  was  carried 
away  dead  or  alive,  no  one  could  state. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII 

How  THE  CHRISTIANS  WERE  PURSUED  BY  THE  INDIANS. 

THE  natives,  finding  they  had  gained  a 
victory,  took  so  great  encouragement  that  they 
proceeded  to  attack  the  brigantines,  which 
they  had  not  dared  to  before.  They  first 
came  up  with  one  in  the  rear-guard,  com 
manded  by  Calderon,  and  at  the  first  volley  of 
arrows  twenty-five  men  were  wounded.  There 
were  only  four  on  board  in  armour,  who  went 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

to  the  side  of  the  vessel  for  its  defence.  Those 
unprotected,  finding  how  they  were  getting 
hurt,  left  the  oars,  placing  themselves  below 
under  the  cover;  and  the  brigantine,  beginning 
to  swing  about,  was  going  where  the  current 
of  wrater  chanced  to  take  her,  when  one  of  the 
men  in  armour,  seeing  this,  without  waiting 
the  captain's  order,  made  one  of  the  infantry 
take  the  oar  and  steer,  while  he  stood  before 
to  cover  him  with  his  shield.  The  Indians 
afterwards  came  no  nearer  than  bow-shot, 
whence  they  could  assail  without  being  as 
saulted,  or  receiving  injury,  there  being  in 
each  brigantine  only  a  single  crossbow  much 
out  of  order;  so  that  the  Christians  had  little 
else  to  do  than  to  stand  as  objects  to  be  shot 
at,  watching  for  the  shafts.  The  natives, 
having  left  this  brigantine,  wrent  to  another, 
against  which  they  fought  for  half  an  hour: 
and  one  after  another,  in  this  way  they  ran 
through  with  them  all. 

The  Christians  had  mats  with  them  to  lie 
upon  of  two  thicknesses,  very  close  and  strong, 
so  that  no  arrow  could  pierce  them,  that,  when 
safety  required,  were  hung  up;  and  the  In 
dians,  finding  that  these  could  not  be  traversed, 
directed  their  shafts  upward,  that,  exhausted, 
fell  on  board,  inflicting  some  wounds.  Not 
satisfied  with  this,  they  strove  to  get  at  the 
men  with  the  horses ;  but  the  brigantines  were 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

brought  about  the  canoes  in  which  they  were, 
to  give  them  protection,  and  in  this  position 
conducted  them  along.  The  Christians,  find 
ing  themselves  thus  severely  tried,  and  so  worn 
out  that  they  could  bear  up  no  longer,  deter 
mined  to  continue  their  journey  in  the  dark, 
thinking  that  they  should  be  left  alone  on 
getting  through  the  region  of  Quigualtam. 
While  they  proceeded  and  were  least  watchful, 
supposing  themselves  to  be  left,  they  would  be 
roused  with  deafening  yells  near  by:  and  thus 
were  they  annoyed  through  the  night  and  until 
noon,  when  they  got  into  another  country,  to 
the  people  of  which  they  were  recommended 
for  a  like  treatment,  and  received  it. 

Those  Indians  having  gone  back  to  their 
country,  these  followed  the  Christians  in 
fifty  canoes,  fighting  them  all  one  day  and 
night.  They  sprang  on  board  a  brigantine 
of  the  rear-guard,  by  the  canoe  that  floated 
at  the  stern,  whence  they  took  out  an  In 
dian  woman,  and  wounded  from  thence  some 
men  in  the  brigantines.  The  men  with 
the  horses  in  the  canoes,  becoming  weary 
with  rowing  day  and  night,  at  times  got 
left  behind,  when  the  Indians  would  directly 
set  upon  them,  and  those  in  the  brigan 
tines  would  wait  until  they  should  come 
up :  so  that  in  consequence  of  the  slow  way 
that  was  made,  because  of  the  beasts,  the  Gov- 
200 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

ernor  determined  to  go  on  shore  and  slaughter 
them.  So  soon  as  any  befitting  ground  for  it 
was  seen,  a  landing  was  made,  the  animals 
were  butchered,  and  the  meat  cured  and 
brought  on  board.  Four  or  five  horses  having 
been  let  go  alive,  the  Indians,  after  the  Span 
iards  had  embarked,  went  up  to  them,  to 
whom  being  unused,  they  were  alarmed,  run 
ning  up  and  down,  neighing  in  such  a  way 
that  the  Indians  took  fright,  plunging  into  the 
water;  and  thence  entering  their  canoes,  they 
went  after  the  brigantines,  shooting  at  the 
people  without  mercy,  following  them  that 
evening  and  the  night  ensuing,  until  ten 
o'clock  the  next  day,  when  they  returned  up 
stream. 

From  a  small  town  near  the  bank,  there 
came  out  seven  canoes  that  pursued  the  Chris 
tians  a  short  distance,  shooting  at  them;  but 
finding,  as  they  were  few,  that  little  harm  was 
done,  they  went  back.  From  that  time  forth 
the  voyage,  until  near  the  end,  was  unattended 
by  any  misadventure;  the  Christians  in  seven 
teen  days  going  down  a  distance  of  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  leagues,  a  little  more  or  less,  by 
the  river.  When  near  the  sea,  it  becomes 
divided  into  two  arms,  each  of  which  may  be 
a  league  and  a  half  broad. 


2OI 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

*x 

CHAPTER    XXXIX 

How  THE  CHRISTIANS  CAME  TO  THE  SEA,  WHAT  OC 
CURRED  THEN,  AND  WHAT  BEFELL  THEM   ON  THE 

VOYAGE. 

HALF  a  league  before  coming  to  the  sea,  the 
Christians  cast  anchor,  in  order  to  take  rest 
for  a  time,  as  they  were  weary  from  rowing. 
They  were  disheartened  also,  many  days  hav 
ing  gone  by  since  they  had  eaten  other  thing 
than  maize,  parched  and  then  boiled,  given 
out  in  daily  rations  of  a  casque  by  strake  x  to  a 
mess  of  three. 

While  riding  at  anchor,  seven  canoes  of  na 
tives  came  to  attack  those  we  had  brought  in 
the  canoes  along  with  us.  The  Governor 
ordered  men  to  enter  ours  in  armour,  to  go 
after  the  Indians  and  drive  them  away. 
There  also  came  some  by  land,  through  thicket 
and  bog,  with  staves,  having  very  sharp  heads 
of  fish-bone,  who  fought  valiantly  those  of  us 
who  went  out  to  meet  them.  Such  as  were 
in  the  canoes,  awaited  with  their  arrows  the 
approach  of  those  sent  against  them ;  and  pres 
ently,  on  the  engaging  of  these,  as  well  as 
those  on  land,  they  w^ounded  some  on  our  side 
in  both  contests.  When  we  on  shore  drew 

1 "  Hu  casco  arrasado,"  "  a  casque  scraped,"  i.  e.t 
level  full.  (B.) 


A    FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

nigh  to  them  they  would  turn  their  backs, 
running  like  fleet  steeds  before  infantry,  making 
some  turns  without  ever  getting  much  beyond 
the  flight  of  an  arrow,  and,  returning  again, 
they  would  shoot  without  receiving  any  injury 
from  us,  who,  though  we  had  some  bows,  were 
not  skilled  to  use  them;  while  the  Indians  on 
the  water,  rinding  their  pursuers  unable  to  do 
them  harm,  though  straining  at 'the  oars  to 
overtake  them,  leisurely  kept  within  a  circle, 
their  canoes  pausing  and  returning,  as  in  a 
skirmish.  The  men  discovered  that  the  more 
successful  their  efforts  to  approach,  the  greater 
was  their  own  injury;  so,  when  they  succeeded 
simply  in  driving  them  off,  they  went  back  to 
the  brigantines. 

After  remaining  two  days,  the  Christians 
went  to  where  that  branch  of  the  river  enters 
the  sea;  and  having  sounded  there,  they  found 
forty  fathoms  depth  of  water.  Pausing  then, 
the  Governor  required  that  each  should  give 
his  opinion  respecting  the  voyage,  whether  they 
should  sail  to  New  Spain  direct,  by  the  high 
sea,  or  go  thither  keeping  along  from  shore 
to  shore.  There  were  different  opinions  upon 
this,  in  which  Juan  de  Anasco,  who  was  very 
presumptuous,  valuing  himself  much  upon  his 
knowledge  of  navigation,  with  other  matters 
of  the  sea  of  which  he  had  little  experience, 
influenced  the  Governor;  and  his  opinion,  like 
203 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

that  of  some  others,  was,  that  it  would  be  much 
better  to  put  out  to  sea,  and  cross  the  Gulf  by 
a  passage  three-fourths  less  far,  than  going 
from  shore  to  shore,  which  was  very  circuitous, 
because  of  the  bend  made  by  the  land.  He 
said  that  he  had  seen  the  sea-chart ;  that  whence 
they  were  the  coast  ran  west  to  the  River  of 
Palmas,  and  thence  south  to  New  Spain; 
consequently,  that  keeping  in  sight  of  land, 
there  would  be  wide  compassing,  with  long 
detention,  and  risk  of  being  overtaken  by  the 
winter  before  coming  to  the  country  of  Chris 
tians  ;  while,  with  a  fair  wind,  in  ten  or  twelve 
days'  time  they  should  arrive  there,  by  keeping 
a  straight  course. 

The  majority  were  not  of  that  way  of  think 
ing,  and  said  there  was  more  safety  in  going 
along  the  coast,  though  it  might  take  longer; 
the  vessels  being  frail,  and  without  decks,  a 
light  storm  might  suffice  to  wreck  them;  and 
in  consequence  of  the  little  room  they  had  for 
water,  if  calm  or  head  wind  should  occur, 
or  adverse  weather,  they  would  also  run  great 
hazard;  but  even  were  the  vessels  so  substan 
tial  that  they  might  venture  in  them,  there 
being  neither  pilot  nor  sea-card  to  show  the 
way,  it  was  not  wise  to  traverse  the  sea.  This, 
the  opinion  of  the  greater  number,  was  ap 
proved;  and  it  was  decided  to  go  along  from 
one  to  another  shore. 

204 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

When  they  were  about  to  depart,  the  brig- 
antine  of  the  Governor  parted  her  cable,  the 
anchor  attached  to  it  remaining  in  the  river; 
and,  notwithstanding  she  was  near  the  shore, 
the  depth  was  so  great  that,  although  it  was 
industriously  sought  for  by  divers,  it  could  not 
be  found.  This  gave  much  anxiety  to  the 
Governor  and  the  others  on  board.  With  a 
stone  for  crushing  maize,  and  the  bridles  that 
remained,  belonging  to  some  of  the  fidalgos 
and  gentlemen  who  rode,  they  made  a  weight 
that  took  the  place  of  the  anchor. 

On  the  eighteenth  day  of  July  the  vessels 
got  under  weigh,  with  fair  weather,  and  wind 
favourable  for  the  voyage.  The  Governor, 
with  Juan  de  Anasco,  put  to  sea  in  their  brig- 
antines,  and  were  followed  by  all  the  rest,  who, 
at  two  or  three  leagues  out,  having  come  up 
with  the  two,  the  Captains  asked  the  Governor 
why  he  did  not  keep  the  land ;  and  told  him  that 
if  he  meant  to  leave  it  he  should  say  so,  though 
he  ought  not  to  do  that  without  having  the 
consent  of  the  rest,  otherwise  they  would  not 
follow  his  lead,  but  each  would  do  as  he 
thought  best.  The  Governor  replied  that  he 
would  do  nothing  without  consulting  them ;  he 
desired  to  get  away  from  the  shore  to  sail  the 
better,  and  with  the  greater  safety  at  night; 
that  in  the  morning,  when  time  served,  he 
would  return.  With  a  favourable  wind  they 
205 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

sailed  all  that  day  in  fresh  water,  the  next 
night,  and  the  day  following  until  vespers,  at 
which  they  were  greatly  amazed ;  for  they  were 
very  distant  from  the  shore,  and  so  great  was 
the  strength  of  the  current  of  the  river,  the 
coast  so  shallow  and  gentle,  that  the  fresh 
water  entered  far  into  the  sea. 

That  afternoon,  on  the  starboard  bow,  they 
saw  some  kays,  whither  they  went,  and  where 
they  reposed  at  night.  There  Juan  de  Anasco, 
with  his  reasoning,  concluded  by  getting  all  to 
consent,  and  deem  it  good,  that  they  should  go 
to  sea,  declaring,  as  he  had  before  said,  that 
it  would  be  a  great  gain,  and  shorten  their 
voyage.  They  navigated  two  days,  and  when 
they  desired  to  get  back  in  sight  of  land  they 
could  not,  because  the  wind  came  off  from 
it:  and  on  the  fourth  day,  finding  that  the 
water  was  giving  out,  fearing  extremity  and 
peril,  they  all  complained  of  Juan  de  Anasco, 
and  of  the  Governor,  who  had  listened  to  his 
advice:  and  all  the  Captains  declared  they 
would  run  no  farther  out,  and  that  the  Gov 
ernor  might  go  as  he  chose. 

It  pleased  God  that  the  wind  should  change 
a  little;  and,  at  the  end  of  four  days 
from  the  time  of  their  having  gone  out  to  sea, 
by  strength  of  arm  they  arrived,  in  want  of 
fresh  water,  in  sight  of  the  coast,  and  with 
great  labour  gained  it  on  an  open  beach.  That 
206 


A   FIDALGO   OF  ELVAS 

afternoon,  the  wind  came  round  from  the 
south,  which  on  that  coast  is  a  side  wind,  and 
so  stiff  that  it  threw  the  brigantines  on  to  the 
land,  the  anchors  bending  in  their  slenderness, 
and  dragging.  The  Governor  ordered  all  to 
leap  into  the  water,  on  the  larboard  side,  to 
hold  them,  and  when  each  wave  had  passed 
they  would  launch  the  brigantines  to  seaward, 
sustaining  them  in  this  manner  until  the  wind 
went  down. 

CHAPTER    XL 

How  THE  BRIGANTINES  LOST  SIGHT  OF  EACH  OTHER  IN 
A  STORM,  AND  AFTERWARDS  CAME  TOGETHER  AT  A 
KAY. 

THE  tempest  having  passed  off  from  the 
beach  where  the  brigantines  were  riding,  the 
people  went  on  shore.  With  mattocks  they 
dug  holes  there,  into  which  the  water  having 
flowed,  they  thence  filled  their  pipkins.  The 
next  day  they  left;  and  sailing  two  days,  they 
entered  a  basin,  like  a  cove,  which  afforded 
shelter  against  a  high  wind  that  blew  from  the 
south.  There  they  tarried,  unable  to  leave, 
until  the  fourth  day,  when  the  sea  subsided 
and  they  went  out  by  rowing.  They  sailed 
until  near  evening;  the  wind  then  freshened, 
driving  them  in  such  manner  upon  the  land, 
that  they  regretted  having  left  the  harbour; 
207 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

for  no  sooner  was  it  nightfall  than  the  storm 
began  to  rise  on  the  sea,  and  with  its  approach 
the  wind  gradually  increased.  The  brigan- 
tines  separated.  The  two  that  were  farthest 
out  entered  an  arm  of  the  sea,  a  couple  of 
leagues  beyond  the  place  where  the  others 
found  themselves  at  dark.  The  five  that  were 
astern  remained  from  half  a  league  to  a  league 
apart,  along  an  exposed  beach,  upon  which  the 
winds  and  waves  were  casting  them,  without 
one  vessel's  knowing  the  fate  of  another.  The 
anchors  having  yielded,  the  vessels  were  drag 
ging  them :  the  oars,  at  each  of  which  seven  and 
eight  were  pulling  seaward,  could  not  hold  the 
vessels;  the  rest  of  the  men,  leaping  into  the 
water,  with  the  utmost  diligence,  after  the 
wave  had  passed  that  drove  them  to  the  shore, 
would  launch  the  brigantine;  while  those  on 
board,  before  another  wave  could  come,  baled 
out  with  bowls  the  water  that  came  in  upon 
them. 

While  thus  engaged,  in  great  fear  of  being 
lost,  from  midnight  forward  they  suffered 
the  intolerable  torment  of  a  myriad  of  mos- 
quitos.  The  flesh  is  directly  inflamed  from  their 
sting,  as  though  it  had  received  venom.  To 
wards  morning  the  wind  lulled,  and  the  sea 
went  down;  but  the  insects  continued  none 
the  less.  The  sails,  which  were  white,  ap 
peared  black  with  them  at  daylight;  while 
208 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

the  men  could  not  pull  at  the  oars  without 
assistance  to  drive  away  the  insects.  Fear 
having  passed  off  with  the  danger  of  the 
storm,  the  people  observing  the  swollen  con 
dition  of  each  other's  faces,  and  the  marks  of 
the  blows  they  had  given  and  received  to  rid 
them  of  the  mosquitos,  they  could  but  laugh. 
The  vessels  came  together  in  a  creek,  where 
lay  the  two  brigantines  that  preceded  them. 
Finding  a  scum  the  sea  casts  up,  called  copee, 
which  is  like  pitch,  and  used  instead  on  ship 
ping,  where  that  is  not  to  be  had,  they  payed 
the  bottoms  of  their  vessels  with  it. 

After  remaining  two  days  they  resumed  their 
voyage;  and  having  run  likewise  two  days, 
they  entered  an  arm  of  the  sea  and  landed. 
Spending  there  a  couple  of  days,  they  left; 
six  men  on  the  last  day  having  gone  up  the 
bay  in  a  canoe  without  finding  its  head.  The 
brigantines  went  out  in  a  head-wind  blowing 
from  the  south,  which  being  light,  and  the 
people  having  a  strong  desire  to  hasten  the 
voyage,  they  pulled  out  by  strength  of  arm 
to  sea  with  great  toil,  and  making  little  head 
way  for  two  days,  they  entered  by  an  arm  of  the 
sea  behind  an  islet  which  it  encircles,  where 
followed  such  bad  weather,  that  they  were 
not  unmindful  to  give  thanks  for  that  good 
shelter.  Fish  abounded  there.  They  were 
taken  in  nets  and  with  the  line.  A  man  hav- 
209 


NARRATIVES   OF   DE   SOTO 

ing  thrown  out  a  cord  made  fast  to  his  arm,  a 
fish  caught  at  the  hook  and  drew  him  into 
the  water  up  to  the  neck,  when,  remembering 
a  knife  that  he  had  providentially  kept,  he 
cut  himself  loose. 

At  the  close  of  the  fourteenth  day  of  their 
stay,  the  Almighty  having  thought  proper  to 
send  fair  weather,  the  Christians  very  devoutly 
formed  a  procession  for  the  return  of  thanks, 
in  which,  moving  along  the  beach,  they  suppli 
cated  Him  that  He  would  take  them  to  a  land 
in  which  they  might  better  do  Him  service. 


CHAPTER    XLI 

How  THE  CHRISTIANS  ARRIVED  AT  THE  RIVER  PANICO. 

WHERESOEVER  the  people  dug  along  the 
shore  they  found  fresh  water.  The  jars  being 
filled,  and  the  procession  concluded,  they  em 
barked  ;  and,  going  ever  in  sight  of  land, 
they  navigated  for  six  days.  Juan  de  Anasco 
said  it  would  be  well  to  stand  directly  out  to 
sea;  for  that  he  had  seen  the  card,  and  remem 
bered  that,  from  Rio  de  Palmas  onward,  the 
coast  ran  south,  and  up  to  that  time  they  had 
gone  westwardly.  According  to  his  opinion, 
by  the  reckoning  he  kept,  the  river  could  not 
be  distant  from  where  we  were. 

That  night  they  ran  out,  and  in  the  morning 
210 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

they  saw  palm-trees  rising  above  the  water, 
the  coast  trending  southwardly ;  and  from  mid 
day  forward  great  mountains  appeared,  which 
had  nowhere  been  seen  until  then ;  for  to  that 
place,  from  the  port  of  Espiritu  Santo,  where 
they  had  entered  Florida,  was  a  low,  level 
shore,  not  discoverable  at  sea  until  very  near. 
From  what  they  observed,  they  thought  that 
during  the  night  they  had  passed  the  Rio  de 
Palmas,  sixty  leagues  distant  from  Panico,  in 
New  Spain.  So  they  consulted  together. 

Some  were  of  opinion  that  it  would  not 
be  well  to  sail  in  the  dark,  lest  they  should 
overrun  the  Rio  de  Panico;  others,  that  they 
could  not  be  so  near  as  to  run  by  it  that  night, 
and  that  it  would  not  be  well  to  lose  a  favour 
able  wind ;  so  they  agreed  to  spread  half  the 
sails  and  keep  on  their  way.  Two  of  the  brig- 
antines,  which  ran  with  all  sail  up,  at  daylight 
passed  the  river  without  seeing  it:  of  the  five 
that  remained  behind,  the  first  that  arrived 
was  the  one  Calderon  commanded,  from 
which,  when  a  quarter  of  a  league  off,  and 
before  the  entrance  had  been  discovered,  the 
water  was  observed  to  be  thick  and  found  to  be 
fresh.  Coming  opposite  the  river,  they  saw 
where  the  waves  broke  upon  a  shoal,  at  the 
entrance  into  the  sea;  and,  not  any  one  know 
ing  the  place,  they  were  in  doubt  whether  they 
should  go  in  there  or  pass  by;  but  finally, 

211 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE   SOTO 

having  agreed  to  enter,  they  approached  the 
shore  without  getting  into  the  current,  and 
went  in  the  port,  where  no  sooner  had  they 
come,  than  they  saw  Indians  of  both  sexes  in 
the  apparel  of  Spain.  Asking  in  what  country 
they  were,  they  received  the  answer  in  their 
own  language,  that  it  was  the  Rio  de  Panico, 
and  that  the  town  of  the  Christians  was  fifteen 
leagues  inland.  The  pleasure  that  all  re 
ceived  at  this  news  cannot  be  sufficiently  ex 
pressed:  they  felt  as  though  a  life  had  been 
newly  given  them.  Many,  leaping  on  shore, 
kissed  the  ground ;  and  all,  on  bended  knees, 
with  hands  raised  above  them,  and  their  eyes 
to  heaven,  remained  untiring  in  giving  thanks 
to  God. 

Those  who  were  coming  astern,  when  they 
saw  that  Calderon  with  his  brigantine  had 
anchored  in  the  river,  directly  steered  to  enter 
the  port.  The  other  two,  which  had  gone  by, 
tried  to  run  to  sea,  that  they  might  put  about 
and  join  the  rest,  but  could  not,  the  wind 
being  adverse  and  the  sea  fretful;  so,  fearing 
that  they  might  be  lost,  they  came  nigh  the 
land  and  cast  anchor.  A  storm  came  up, 
and  finding  that  they  could  not  sustain  them 
selves  there,  much  less  at  sea,  they  determined 
to  run  on  shore;  and  as  the  brigantines  were 
small,  drawing  but  little  water,  and  the  beach 
sandy,  the  force  of  the  wind  on  the  sails 

.*- 


A   FIDALGO   OF   ELVAS 

carried  them  up  dry,  without  injury  to  any 
one. 

If  those  who  gained  the  haven  at  that  time 
were  made  happy,  these  were  oppressed  by  a 
double  weight  of  gloom,  not  knowing  what 
had  happened  to  their  companions,  nor  in 
what  country  they  were,  fearing  likewise  that 
it  might  be  one  of  a  hostile  people.  They 
had  come  upon  the  coast  two  leagues  below 
the  port.  So  soon  as  they  found  themselves 
clear  of  the  sea,  each  took  on  the  back  what 
he  could  carry  of  his  things,  and,  travelling 
inland,  they  found  Indians,  who  told  whence 
they  were,  and  changed  what  was  sorrow  into 
joy.  The  Christians  rendered  many  thanks 
to  God  for  having  rescued  them  from  those 
numberless  perils. 


CHAPTER    XLII 

How  THE  CHRISTIANS  CAME  TO  PANICO,  AND  OF  THEIR 
RECEPTION    BY   THE    INHABITANTS. 

FROM  the  time  the  Christians  left  the  River 
Grande,  to  come  by  sea  from  Florida  to  the 
River  of  Panico,  were  fifty-two  days.  On 
the  tenth  day  of  September,  of  the  year  1543, 
they  entered  the  Panico,  going  up  with  the 
brigantines.  In  the  many  windings  taken  by 
the  stream,  the  light  wind  was  often  unfa- 
213 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

vourable,  and  the  vessels  in  many  places  made 
slow  headway,  having  to  be  towed  with  much 
labour  against  a  strong  current;  so  that,  after 
having  sailed  four  days,  the  people,  discovering 
themselves  greatly  retarded  in  the  desire  to 
get  among  Christians,  and  of  taking  part  in 
the  divine  offices,  which  for  a  long  season  had 
not  been  listened  to  by  them,  they  gave  up  the 
brigantines  to  the  sailors,  and  went  on  by  land 
to  Panico. 

Just  as  the  Christians  arrived  at  the  town, 
in  their  clothing  of  deer-skin,  dressed  and  dyed 
black,  consisting  of  frock,  hose,  and  shoes, 
they  all  went  directly  to  the  church,  to  pray 
and  return  thanks  for  their  miraculous  preser 
vation.  The  townspeople,  having  already 
been  informed  of  their  coming  by  the  Indians, 
and  now  knew  of  the  arrival,  invited  some  to 
their  houses,  and  entertained  them  for  ac 
quaintance  sake,  or  for  having  heard  of  them, 
or  because  they  came  from  the  same  parts  of 
country  with  themselves.  The  Alcalde- May  or 
took  the  Governor  home  with  him :  the  rest,  as 
they  came  up,  he  directed  to  be  lodged  by 
sixes  and  tens,  according  to  the  means  of  indi 
viduals,  who  provided  their  guests  with 
abundance  of  fowls  and  maizen-bread,and  with 
the  fruits  of  the  country,  which  are  like  those 
of  Cuba,  already  described. 

The  town  of  Panico  might  contain  some 
314 


A    FIDALGO    OF    ELVAS 

seventy  housekeepers.  The  dwellings  were 
chiefly  of  stone  and  mortar;  some  were  of 
poles,  and  all  of  them  thatched  with  grass. 
The  country  is  poor.  No  gold  or  silver  is  to 
be  found.  Residents  have  the  fullest  supply 
both  of  food  and  servants.  The  most  wealthy 
have  not  an  income  above  five  hundred  cru- 
zados  annually,  which  is  tribute  paid  by  their 
Indian  vassals,  in  cotton  clothing,  fowls,  and 
maize. 

Of  the  persons  who  got  back  from  Florida, 
there  landed  at  that  port  three  hundred  and 
eleven  Christians.  The  Alcalde-Mayor  di 
rectly  sent  a  townsman  by  post  to  inform  the 
Viceroy,  who  resided  in  Mexico,  of  the  ar 
rival  of  three  hundred  of  the  men  who  had 
gone  with  Don  Hernando  de  Soto  in  the 
discovery  and  conquest  of  Florida;  and,  for 
their  being  in  the  service  of  the  King,  that  he 
would  make  provision  for  their  support.  Don 
Antonio  de  Mendoza  was  greatly  amazed  at 
this  news,  as  were  all  others  of  that  city; 
for  the  people  having  entered  far  into  Florida, 
they  had  been  considered  lost,  nothing  being 
heard  from  them  in  a  long  while ;  and  it 
appeared  to  him  to  be  a  thing  impossible,  that 
without  a  fortress  to  which  they  might  betake 
themselves,  or  support  of  any  sort,  they  should 
have  sustained  themselves  for  such  a  length 
of  time  among  the  heathen.  He  immediately 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

gave  an  order,  directing  that  subsistence  should 
be  given  them  wheresoever  it  might  be  needed, 
and  the  Indians  found  requisite  for  carrying 
their  burdens;  and,  should  there  be  refusal, 
to  take  by  force,  without  incurring  any  pen 
alty,  whatsoever  should  be  necessary.  The 
mandate  was  so  well  obeyed,  that  on  the  road, 
before  the  people  had  arrived  at  the  towns, 
the  inhabitants  went  out  to  receive  them, 
bringing  fowls  and  provisions. 


CHAPTER    XLIII 

THE  FAVOUR  THE  PEOPLE  FOUND  IN  THE  VICEROY 
AND  RESIDENTS  OF  MEXICO. 

FROM  Panico  to  the  great  city  of  Mestitam, 
Mexico,  there  are  sixty  leagues,  and  as  many 
leagues  from  each  to  the  port  of  Vera  Cruz, 
which  is  where  the  embarkations  take  place 
for  Spain,  and  where  those  who  go  hence  to 
New  Spain  arrive.  These  three  towns,  equi 
distant,  are  inhabited  by  Spaniards,  and  form 
a  triangle:  Vera  Cruz  on  the  south,  Panico 
on  the  east,  and  Mexico,  which  is  inland,  on 
the  west.  The  country  is  so  populous,  that 
the  Indian  towns  farthest  apart  are  not 
more  than  half  a  league  to  a  league  from 
each  other. 

Some  of  the  people  who  came  from  Florida 
216 


A    FIDALGO    OF    ELVAS 

remained  in  Panico,  reposing  a  month,  others 
fifteen  days,  or  such  time  as  each  pleased ;  for 
no  one  turned  a  grudging  face  to  his  guest, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  gave  him  of  every  thing 
he  had,  and  appeared  sad  at  his  leave-taking; 
which  may  well  enough  be  believed,  for  the 
provision  the  natives  brought  in  payment  of 
their  tribute  more  than  sufficed  for  consump 
tion,  so  that  there  was  no  one  in  that  town  to 
buy  or  to  sell,  and  few  Spaniards  being  there, 
the  inhabitants  were  glad  of  company.  All 
the  clothing  in  the  custody  of  the  Alcalde- 
Mayor,  paid  to  him  there  as  the  Emperor's 
tax,  he  divided  among  those  that  would  go  to 
receive  any. 

He  who  had  a  coat  of  mail  was  happy,  since 
for  it  a  horse  might  be  had  in  exchange.  Some 
got  mounted,  and  those  not  able  to  get  beasts, 
who  were  the  greater  number,  took  up  the 
journey  on  foot.  They  were  well  received 
by  the  Indians,  and  better  served  than  they 
could  have  been  at  their  own  homes,  particu 
larly  in  respect  of  every  thing  to  eat;  for, 
if  an  Indian  was  asked  for  a  fowl,  he  would 
bring  four;  and  if  for  any  sort  of  fruit, 
though  it  might  be  a  league  off,  some  one 
would  run  to  fetch  it;  and  were  a  Christian 
ill,  the  people  wrould  carry  him,  in  a  chair, 
from  their  own  to  the  next  town.  Where 
soever  they  came,  the  Cacique  of  the  place, 
217 


NARRATIVES    OF    DE    SOTO 

through  an  Indian  who  bears  a  rod  of  justice 
in  his  hand  they  call  tapile  (which  is  equiva 
lent  to  saying  meirinho),  ordered  provisions 
to  be  brought,  and  men  for  the  loads  of  such 
things  as  they  were,  and  the  others  necessary 
to  carry  the  invalids. 

The  Viceroy  sent  a  Portugues  to  them, 
twenty  leagues  from  Mexico,  with  quantity 
of  confections,  raisins,  pomegranates,  and 
other  matters  proper  for  the  sick,  should  they 
need  them;  and,  in  advance,  ordered  that  all 
should  be  clothed  at  the  royal  charge.  The 
news  of  their  approach  being  known  to  the 
citizens,  they  went  out  on  the  highway  to  re 
ceive  them,  and  with  great  courtesy  entreated 
for  their  companionship  as  favour,  each  one 
taking  to  his  house  as  many  as  he  dared,  giving 
them  for  raiment  all  the  best  he  could,  the 
least  well  dressed  wearing  clothes  worth  thirty 
cruzados  and  upward.  Clothing  was  given 
to  those  who  chose  to  go  for  it  to  the  residence 
of  the  Viceroy,  and  the  persons  of  condition 
ate  at  his  board:  at  his  house  was  a  table  for 
all  those  of  less  rank  that  would  eat  there. 
Directly  he  informed  himself  of  the  quality 
of  each  one,  that  he  might  show  him  the  con 
sideration  that  was  his  due.  Some  of  the 
Conquistadores  placed  them  all  down  to  table 
together,  fidalgos  and  boors,  oftentimes  seat 
ing  the  servant  and  his  master  shoulder  to 


A   FIDALGO    OF   ELVAS 

shoulder;  which  was  done  mostly  by  artisans 
and  men  of  mean  condition,  those  better  bred 
asking  who  each  one  was,  and  making  a  dif 
ference  in  persons. 

Nevertheless,  all  did  the  best  they  could 
with  good  will,  telling  those  they  had  under 
their  roofs  that  they  could  bring  no  impov 
erishment,  nor  should  they  hesitate  to  receive 
whatsoever  they  offered ;  since  they  had  found 
themselves  in  like  condition  when  others  had 
assisted  them,  such  being  the  fortunes  of  the 
country.  God  reward  them:  and  those 
whom  He  saw  fit  should  escape,  coming  out 
of  Florida  to  tread  the  soil  of  Christians,  be 
He  pleased  that  they  live  to  serve  Him;  and 
to  the  dead,  and  to  all  those  who  believe  in 
Him,  and  confess  that  in  Him  is  their  faith, 
grant,  through  His  compassion,  the  glory  of 
paradise.  Amen. 


CHAPTER    XLIIII 

WHICH  SETS  FORTH  SOME  OF  THE  DIVERSITIES  AND 
PECULIARITIES  OF  FLORIDA;  AND  THE  FRUIT, 
BIRDS,  AND  BEASTS  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

FROM  the  port  of  Espiritu  Santo,  where  the 
Christians  went  on  shore,  to  the  Province  of 
Ocute,  which  may  be  a  distance  of  four  hun 
dred  leagues,  a  little  more  or  less,  the  country 


NARRATIVES    OF   DE    SOTO 

is  very  level,  having  many  ponds,  dense  thick 
ets,  and,  in  places,  tall  pine-trees:  the  soil 
is  light,  and  there  is  not  in  it  a  mountain  nor 
a  hill. 

The  land  of  Ocute  is  more  strong  and  fer 
tile  than  the  rest,  the  forest  more  open;  and 
it  has  very  good  fields  along  the  margins  of 
the  rivers.  From  there  to  Cutifachiqui  are 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  leagues,  of 
which  eighty  leagues  are  of  desert  and  pine 
forests,  through  which  run  great  rivers.  From 
Cutifachiqui  to  Xuala  there  may  be  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  leagues,  and  all  a  country  of 
mountains:  the  places  themselves  are  on  high 
level  ground,  and  have  good  fields  upon  the 
streams. 

Thence  onward,  through  Chiaha,  Coga,  and 
Talise,  the  country  of  which  is  flat,  dry,  and 
strong,  yielding  abundance  of  maize,  to  Tasca- 
luga,  may  be  two  hundred  and  fifty  leagues; 
and  thence  to  Rio  Grande,  a  distance  of  about 
three  hundred  leagues,  the  land  is  low,  abound 
ing  in  lakes.  The  country  afterward  is 
higher,  more  open,  and  more  populous  than 
any  other  in  Florida;  and  along  the  River 
Grande,  from  Aquixo  to  Pacaha  and  Coligoa, 
a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues, 
the  land  is  level,  the  forest  open,  and  in  places 
the  fields  very  fertile  and  inviting. 

From  Coligoa  to  Autiamque  may  be  two 
220 


A    FIDALGO    OF    ELVAS 

hundred  and  fifty  leagues  of  mountainous 
country;  thence  to  Guacay  may  be  two  hun 
dred  and  thirty  leagues  of  level  ground ;  and 
the  region  to  Daycao,  a  distance  of  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  leagues,  is  continuously  of 
mountainous  lands. 

From  the  port  of  Espiritu  Santo  to  Apa- 
lache  they  marched  west  and  northeast;  from 
Cutifachiqui  to  Xuala,  north;  to  Coga,  west- 
wardly;  and  thence  to  Tascaluga  and  the 
River  Grande,  as  far  as  the  Provinces  of 
Quizquiz  and  Aquixo,  to  the  westward ;  from 
thence  to  Pacaha  northwardly,  to  Tula  west- 
wardly,  to  Autiamque  southwardly,  as  far  as 
the  Province  of  Guachoya  and  Daycao. 

The  bread  that  is  eaten  all  through  Florida 
is  made  of  maize,  which  is  like  coarse  millet; 
and  in  all  the  islands  and  Indias  belonging 
to  Castilla,  beginning  with  the  Antillas,  grows 
this  grain.  There  are  in  the  country  many 
walnuts  likewise,  and  ameixas,  mulberries, 
and  grapes.  The  maize  is  planted  and  picked 
in,  each  person  having  his  own  field;  fruit 
is  common  for  all,  because  it  grows  abun 
dantly  in  the  woods,  without  any  necessity 
of  setting  out  trees  or  pruning  them.  Where 
there  are  mountains  the  chestnut  is  found,  the 
fruit  of  which  is  somewhat  smaller  than  the 
one  of  Spain.  Westward  of  the  Rio  Grande 
the  walnut  differs  from  that  which  is  found 

221 


NARRATIVES   Of  DE   SOTO 

before  coming  there,  being  of  tenderer  shell, 
and  in  form  like  an  acorn;  while  that  behind, 
from  the  river  back  to  the  port  of  Espiritu 
Santo,  is  generally  rather  hard,  the  tree  and 
the  nut  being  in  their  appearance  like  those  of 
Spain.  There  is  everywhere  in  the  country 
a  fruit,  the  produce  of  a  plant  like  ligoacam, 
that  is  propagated  by  the  Indians,  having  the 
appearance  of  the  royal  pear,  with  an  agree 
able  smell  and  taste;  and  likewise  another 
plant,  to  be  seen  in  the  fields,  bearing  a  fruit 
like  strawberry,  near  to  the  ground,  and  is 
very  agreeable.  The  ameixas  are  of  two 
sorts,  vermilion  and  gray,  of  the  fornr  and 
size  of  walnuts,  having  three  or  four  stones 
in  them.  They  are  better  than  any  plums 
that  are  raised  in  Spain,  and  make  much  better 
prunes.  The  grapes  appear  only  to  need  dress 
ing;  for, although  large, they  have  great  stones; 
the  other  fruits  are  all  in  great  perfection, 
and  are  less  unhealthy  than  those  of  Spain. 

There  are  many  lions  and  bears  in  Florida, 
wolves,  deer,  jackals,  cats,  and  conies;  numer 
ous  wild  fowl,  as  large  as  pea-fowl;  small 
partridges,  like  those  of  Africa,  and  cranes, 
ducks,  pigeons,  thrushes,  and  sparrows.  There 
are  blackbirds  larger  than  sparrows  and 
smaller  than  stares;  hawks,  goss-hawks,  fal 
cons,  and  all  the  birds  of  rapine  to  be  found 
in  Spain. 


A  FIDALGO   OP  ELVAS 

The  Indians  are  well  proportioned:  those 
of  the  level  country  are  taller  and  better 
shaped  of  form  than  those  of  the  mountains; 
those  of  the  interior  enjoy  a  greater  abun 
dance  of  maize  and  clothing  than  those  of  the 
coast,  where  the  land  is  poor  and  thin,  and  the 
people  along  it  more  warlike. 

The  direction  from  the  port  of  Espiritu 
Santo  to  Apalache,  and  thence  to  Rio  de  las 
Palmas,  is  from  east  to  west;  from  that  river 
towards  New  Spain,  it  is  southwardly;  the 
sea-coast  being  gentle,  having  many  shoals 
and  high  sand-hills. 

DEO  GRATIAS. 


THIS  Relation  of  the  Discovery  of  Florida  was 
impressed  in  the  house  of  Andree  de  Burgos,  Printer 
and  Cavalleiro  of  the  house  of  Senhor  Cardinal 
iffante. 

It  was  finished  the  tenth  day  of  February,  of  the 
year  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-seven, 
in  the  noble  and  ever  loyal  city  of  Evora. 


223 


n 


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LOAN  DEPT. 

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AUG  1  0  1989 

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AUTO  OJSGLAUS13  'flu  — 

A  n  ?nn^ 

ii  IKl    II            L-UUi? 
I^JJN)  —  v  —  ^  _ 

JAN  2  9  1981 

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